Prison Blues
by AriesBalorPrincess
Summary: AU Story! Jesse stayed to look after Wade when their mother died and their father took to the bottle. He wanted the best possible life for Wade. Except Jesse keeps pulling Wade under. They end up in prison where Jesse hatches a plan, a plan Wade wants no part in. Wade wants to do his time and get back to his family. Zoe comes in to work in the infirmary, per Wade's request.
1. Chapter 1

**This idea has been plaguing me for months now and I finally caved. I do hope this is a story you guys are interested in reading more of, I had fun writing this chapter. The poll on my page is still going and the story that wins will replace _A Beginning to End_ when I get it finished so don't worry about that. Anyway I hope you guys can enjoy this one.**

 **Disclaimer- Everything belongs to it's respected parties. I mean no disrespect.**

* * *

"Why Wade?" Zoe asked sitting across from her boyfriend of 4 years. Things had been rocky for the better portion of their relationship but they loved each other dearly and managed to work things out. They couldn't stay away even if it should've been that way, but they knew better than that, anything was worth having as long as they fought for each other.

"These last 3 months have been pure hell, Zo. Just think about it, please. I need a familiar face around here, it's safe and it'd be for a year, less than that if I can get out of here for good behavior," he begged his girlfriend the itch to hold his her hands there but knowing he couldn't hurt so much. He hated seeing her in this much pain, he had tried to reason with her that she didn't have to come in as much as she did to see him, that it would be best for them both but she wouldn't listen to him and the days she would come in were the days he looked to the most, they were a bright spot in his dark and gloomy days of being locked away from the world he was missing out on.

"You're asking a lot from me here Wade. I can't just put my life on hold for a full year because you and Jesse messed up," she explained with a sigh. The idea was appealing but she was scared just to drop everything to be in the same place as her boyfriend.

"Just think about it, please?" He begged her.

"Okay fine, I'll think about it," she relented. The last 4 months had been hard on her. Things had been going smoothly for her and Wade, but Jesse showed up and ruined it all. He needed his brother's help, Wade refused to tell Jesse no. _'Jesse took me in when our life went to hell, I lost my parents, my mom died and my dad is slowly drinking himself into the ground. Jesse stepped up, he put his life on hold for me, the least I can do is help him out when asked.'_ That was the same response she got every time she asked her boyfriend why he kept helping his brother when it resulted in getting locked up time after time. "I love you, Wade," she told him softly.

"I love you too, Zoe," he replied just as softly, reaching out to let his fingertips collect the small teardrop that silently fell from her sad brown eyes. Just as quick as she felt his warmth it was gone leaving her cheek frozen from his little touch. How she wanted to wrap her arms around him tightly and bury her head into his chest breathing in the scent that was just him, the scent she longed for. The scent that was starting to become no more at home.

She blinked her tears away watching the guard lead him away. Taking a deep breath she exited the visitation room and walked down the hall to sign out, her boyfriend's words ringing loudly in her ears. She needed her best friend. Pulling out of the parking lot of the state penitentiary she had to breathe deep as the brick building got smaller in her rearview mirror. She could do this; it was on a loop in her head.

* * *

Wade was lead back to his cell; his cellmate lying on the bottom bunk, Wade was in no way taking the bottom bunk when he got tossed in the slammer. His cellmate was this scrawny guy that Wade had no doubts that he could easily overpower. Wade nodded slightly climbing on his bunk; they had came to some kind of mutual respect for each other. He pulled the letters out from under his pillow. A lone picture of a little girl at her third birthday party smiled back at him, her blonde hair in two pigtails, and her green eyes shining brighter than the mid afternoon sun. He kissed the picture placing it back in the one spot it was safe under his pillow. He had missed the birthday party because Jesse and now she had to suffer for his stupid mistake; he had decided that if Jesse couldn't turn his life around after he was released from the slammer he was done until Jesse cleaned up his act.

"How'd it go?" His cellmate asked. Wade grunted slipping off his bed. "At least she comes every other day to see you, I've got no family, I got tossed in the slammer and they disown me."

"Joel shut the hell up," Wade snapped. Knowing he couldn't hold his girlfriend the way he wanted to or see his little girl and hear her laughter, knowing he couldn't do those things it annoyed him and pissed him off. "Doesn't make this hell any easier," he hissed under his breath, standing before the cell door as they made the announcement for doors to open to head out to the yard.

Wade headed to the same spot he went to every time for yard, the bleachers were his brother sat. As much as he wanted to rid his life from Jesse he couldn't do that until he was a free man, he needed his brother to have his back while he was locked up.

"She agree to it?" Jesse asked in a hushed voice, not wanting the other prisoners to hear.

Wade shook his head for a few different reasons, Jesse never seemed to listen. He really wished that he could punch his brother to knock the sense in, but he doubted that would work out. "She's thinking about it," he replied looking straight out in front of him avoiding his brother, it was better that way. "I'm not risking her life, Jesse, not like that. I told you I have a family out there waiting on me I will not mess this thing up, you want to bust out, you're on your own," he spit out. A life on the run wasn't the life he wanted to live, not when he had a little girl to provide for. "I can't do that to them," he said shaking his head. "Do you really want to live a life on the run? They'll catch you if you even make it out of here to start with," Wade sighed, looking down at the ground.

"They're going to kill if you don't get out," Jesse hissed, ignoring everything his brother just said. "Without me hear to protect you, they'll kill you and you know this," Jesse reminded him harshly.

Wade closed his eyes letting the memories of county jail slip through his mind. He had gotten into one fight not his fault and that one guy he fought with had alliances up the ass and nearly every group in prison was ready to jump him. "So be it, I want to serve my time and go back to my family where I don't have to look behind me at all times."

"I'm your family, you forget that?" Jesse hissed in his ear.

"How can I?" Wade asked, getting up, hands in his pockets as he walked away from his brother. Staying locked up for the next 12 months, 6 months for good behavior was a risk he was willing to take. The only risk he needed in his life right now.

* * *

"No, that's downright stupid," Lemon scolded her friend. She couldn't even fathom the idea on why Zoe would want to do this for.

"I miss him, Lemon and I want to touch him without the guards yelling or hurting him for not abiding by the rules," Zoe sighed. By the time she got to Lemon's place, she had convinced herself that being a doctor at the prison could be brilliant. It was the only way where she could see him and hold his hand; she needed this just as much as he did.

"I know the next year is going to be hard on you, Zoe, but George is working on a way to get him out," Lemon pleaded with her.

"I know George is an excellent lawyer but there isn't a miracle, Wade's sitting until his time is up," Zoe told her. "I've made my mind up and I'm talking to my boss first thing in the morning," she informed her friend. "He's missed out on a few different things with Evie and I want to give him something the warden won't have a chance to wreck for him."

"And if you get caught sneaking pictures and who knows what else into him, it's your ass on the line not to mention he'll be sitting even longer," Lemon hissed.

"You're reading too much into this, Lemon," Zoe stated awfully calmly. She knew what was at risk and right now she was torn. "I'm not going to do anything to risk my job or make him sit longer, but I need to be there and I promise if things don't feel safe, I'll leave and stick to visiting my boyfriend," Zoe assured her friend.

"Okay," Lemon sighed. "Just take a few extra minutes when you have your daughter in your arms tonight to really think about what the father of that child is asking of you and then you ask yourself if you have the heart to ruin anything else in her life," Lemon told her.

Zoe took a deep breath and just walked out of Lemon's place, she wasn't in the mood to fight any longer, she just wanted her little girl and to go home, today had been an emotionally draining one. She wanted to believe that working at the prison was a good idea, but maybe it wasn't that good of one.


	2. Chapter 2

**We're getting to what Wade and Jesse did to end up in prison, how Zoe and Wade met, how things with Evie played out and how long Zoe has known not only Wade but Lemon and George as well. Joel was the best one for the job on being cell mates with Wade and I really liked the idea of it! I have figured out to extant on where each character from HoD belongs in this story and the next chapter you will see just how a few more of them fit in to this one. Thank you to those of you that have left reviews, followed and favortied this one already. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

 _"Wade you can't go," Zoe insisted, following behind her boyfriend. She wanted Wade to smarten up and let Jesse make his own mistakes in life; it was the only way Jesse would ever learn._

 _"You know I can't," he stated calmly, turning to look at his girlfriend. Starting a fight with her now would be useless. It never did either one of them any good. He knew that he needed to be here with his family, he had to take care of them, but he owed so much to Jesse that it was hard for him to tell his older brother no. So when Jesse asked Wade gave in and went to meet him._

 _"Why can't you, Wade?" Zoe asked, reaching out to him. Wade sighed, taking her hands and pulling her in for a hug._

 _"We've been through this, Zoe," Wade sighed. "Jesse took me in when our life went to hell, I lost my parents, my mom died and my dad is slowly drinking himself into the ground. Jesse stepped up, he put his life on hold for me, the least I can do is help him out when asked," he explained giving her the same excuse he always used. With what Jesse did for him, he had no way of paying his brother back in full. So he went along with whatever stupid plan Jesse came up with. So far it had been nothing serious._

 _"What about Evie? Her birthday is next week." She knew it was a low blow to use their daughter to make him stay but she had to do something. Get him to see that he was being stupid about this whole thing that Jesse was old enough to do whatever he has planned himself._

 _"And I'll be here," he promised, kissing his girlfriend's head. They both knew it wasn't a promise he could really keep depending on what Jesse wanted with him. "I love you," he whispered._

 _"I love you," she told him softly, kissing his cheek. "Please come back to us," she whispered fighting back the tears._

 _He kissed her once more before letting her go. He stopped in his daughter's room, gently kissing her head whispering an I love you baby girl. Taking a moment he closed his eyes._

Zoe woke up with tear streaks on her face. With a mangled sob she glanced at the clock to see that it was a quarter to 6. She decided that going back to sleep would be useless so she got up ready to start her day. After taking a longer shower than normal to get her feelings straightened out she got out and dressed for the day. She didn't want to alert Evie that she had been crying. Her little girl has it hard anyway with her dad no longer around and not understanding why her daddy would just leave her. Zoe didn't feel comfortable enough to tell her daughter that her father was locked up.

"Mommy," little Evie asked, sitting at the table waiting for her mom to finish with her breakfast. "I see Daddy?" She asked barely above a whisper.

With a soft sigh Zoe placed the plate of cut up pancakes in front of her daughter, pulling a chair up so she could talk to her daughter Zoe took a deep breath. "It's not the simple, sweetie," she started to say.

"Why?" Evie asked, picking her fork up to take a bite of her food. "They say things, Mommy and I want to see him."

"It's not possible, sweetie. If I could let you see him I would. But it's not that easy," Zoe told her, getting up. She hated how people talked when her daughter was present. "Daddy should be calling later today and you can talk to him then, okay?" She questioned her daughter.

"Okay, Mommy," Evie sighed, taking another bite of her food.

"Daddy loves you very much and if he could be here, he would be here to spend the day with you, I promise you that much," Zoe softly told her daughter sitting down at the table next to her. Evie nodded her head. "After breakfast Lemon is going to come and spend a few hours with you while Mommy goes into work," she informed her daughter. Evie nodded her head as she ate her food.

* * *

Wade sat a table with his breakfast, Joel next to him. Wade felt bad for the guy, the only person in the joint that Joel talked to was Wade afraid of talking to the wrong person and getting the shit beat out of you was a constant in Joel's mind and he voiced that to Wade every single day. Wade could only take so much from the guy, he could easily get on your nerves but the guy wasn't all that bad. Wade knew more about Joel than he did about his girlfriend or his daughter at this point in time and that killed him a little each day on the inside. Wade spent every second he could lost in his thoughts about his little girl so when someone sat across from him, he paid them no mind, it was the best after all. When said guy cleared his throat to gain Wade's attention Wade let his thoughts about missing his baby girl go for the time being.

"Thought I'd warn you, I heard Jesse planning something to do with you," the scruffy guy told him. Wade raised an eyebrow, curious to hear what else Meatball had to tell him. Snitching wasn't something you wanted to do in prison, but Meatball's loyalty was with Wade. They had been friends when they were little and Meatball had gotten caught with a stolen car and other stolen items inside along with more drugs than one guy needed to have on him. "Just watch your back, something about Jesse wanting to teach you a lesson on turning your back on family."

Wade shook his head, he could believe that Jesse would go to such lengths to do something like this and whatever he had over whoever had to have been big. Watching his back was going to be tough, fighting whoever off was going to be even harder. He could talk to Jesse but than Meatball would be in danger and Wade didn't like that idea. "My brother is an ass," Wade hissed under his breath. "Thanks, I owe ya," Wade told him, getting up and putting his tray where it belonged.

Wade looked around and spotted Jesse at a table by himself. He took a second to decide that he had to go over and talk without Wade letting on that he knew Jesse planned on having some inmate beat the piss out of him. Taking a spot across the table from him, his eyes looking elsewhere, he still caught the smirk that graced his brother's face. He leaned forward resting his forearms on the table, licking his lips.

"You in or not?" Jesse asked under his breath, following his younger brother's actions.

"Depends," Wade stated, turning to look at his brother. He had no intentions of actually joining his brother's crazy plan; he wanted to do his time with as little problems as he could. He had no plans of getting more time put on his head. "What exactly do you need from me?" He asked low enough that Jesse was the only one to hear him.

"I have everything planned out Wade; I just need you to say whether you're in or not. I can't risk having you as a liability, Wade," Jesse told him no emotion or anything in his voice. Wade let a snort out shaking his head.

"You really think I'd rat on you?" Wade retorted, getting up. "You're a bigger ass than I ever remember you being," he hissed moving away from the table Jesse was at. Whatever punishment Jesse had for him, he'd deal with it.

Getting back to his cell he jumped up on his bed and leaned against the wall, his eyes closing. Just for a minute he wanted to think he was elsewhere, that he'd wake up from this nightmare and be home with his girlfriend and his daughter.

"Kinsella, mail," a guard yelled, approaching his cell. He quickly jumped off the top bunk and grabbed the letter being handed to him. He hated that the warden opened his letter but he got why it was done. Wade leaned against the wall and looked at the picture his daughter had drew of him and Evie. He let his thumb finger the words wrote in red color crayon, **I love you Daddy.** It was at that moment that he couldn't stop the lone tear that traveled down his cheek that he was glad that Joel was his cell mate.

* * *

"How'd it go?" Lemon asked once Zoe took a seat on the couch next to her.

"He's letting me volunteer for 60 days and after that I'm not sure what's going to happen," Zoe explained. "Where's Evie?" Zoe asked glancing at the clock, seeing that it was almost time for the weekly phone call from Wade.

"Upstairs in her room, drawing Daddy another picture," Lemon replied, getting up. "My husband told me last night that I can't make you do what I think is best and if you really want to spend your time at the," Lemon looked around to make sure that Evie wasn't listening in, whispered, "prison as a means to see Wade, I can't stop you, just be careful."

"I will be," Zoe replied, getting up to show Lemon out.

"Mommy, Mommy," Evie yelled running down the stairs. Zoe picked her daughter up looking at the picture she had in her hand. "Kitty," the little girl laughed pointing to the yellow kitten she had drawn next to Wade. It was no secret that she wanted a kitten and she wanted to pick the kitty out with her daddy, like promised.

"Very pretty, sweetie," Zoe replied, kissing her cheek. Just then the phone rang. Evie wiggled free running to answer the phone because she just knew that it was her daddy calling, but Zoe got to the phone before her daughter could climb onto the counter. "Hello?" Zoe asked. Listening to the operator on the other end Zoe answered the question with a yes.

"Have you thought about it?" Was the first thing Wade asked. Zoe smiled.

"I have a meeting on Monday," Zoe informed him. She didn't know what was going to happen when she went in to talk to the warden. She wasn't on the positive side of things because she could be traced back to Wade and she didn't want it to seem like some sort of ploy to help him escape.

"That's great, baby," Wade told her with a hint of a smile. "You are coming tomorrow, right?"

"I wouldn't miss it," Zoe told him. Going to the prison to visit was hell on her but the thought of not seeing him at all was even more torture on her. "I'll let you talk to Evie, she glaring at me and it is freaky how much she reminds me of you," Zoe told him. "I love you," she told him.

"I love you too," he replied with a little chuckle at the description of his daughter.

"Daddy," the little girl squealed into the phone. I drew you a picture, Mommy's gonna send it," she told her dad.

"Baby girl," Wade spoke softly filled with love. "I got your last picture and it was lovely angel," he told her. "I'm looking forward to your new one."

"Can I see you? Mommy says no, I miss you Daddy," she told him near tears.

"I miss you too, Evie but Mommy is right, it's not safe for you to come here, I'll be home in a few months and we'll get that kitty I promised you," he told her. That was one promise that he wasn't going to forget about. He had promised her the night he tucked her in before Jesse called that they would go out and pick out a kitty as an early birthday present.

"Love you daddy," Evie told him then.

"Love you too Evie," he replied.

He waited to hear the disconnect sound before he hung up the phone. Turning around he was met with a fist to his face, making him stumble backwards. When the fist came flying at him again he blocked it and threw a punch himself, hearing the sickening sound of a crunch of a broken nose under his knuckles. With the guy more concerned with his nose, Wade walked off and headed back to his cell. He could feel his eye was starting to swell up but he'd manage for the night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Two new characters are brought in with this chapter. I had planned on giving Wade his inmate number, but I when looked up how that was done, I was really confused so I haven't came up with his number yet, but I'm trying to work on that.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Zoe walked into the warden's office, her stomach a twisted knot of nerves, even the soft eyes from the warden's secretary did nothing to keep her nerves at bay, as she had waited to be called in she had to wonder just how the woman before her was related to the man behind the thick oak door, that had kept her mind elsewhere for a few minutes until she was told she could head in and see the warden. She wanted to stay positive about this whole thing, had a speech planned out and everything, but when she sat waiting for her time to go in and talk to the warden in person, well everything she had planned out in her head, drifted away and the negative started to seep in. She had convinced herself that she wouldn't get the job even for a few months because she was dating an inmate. As she thought about doing this it had started out because Wade wanted her to do so, but more so because it would give her the chance to give back in a field she loved and to help people that she was sure weren't treated the best when they went to the infirmary and helping people incarcerated or not was one of the things she liked about her job.

"Dr. Zoe Hart, please have a seat," the warden told her, his voice soft as she walked up to one of the chairs in front of his desk. She gave him a smile, sitting down, trying desperately to hide her nervousness from him. She wanted this job whether it was for Wade or not. "I've looked through your file, I've talked to your boss and I would love to have you here for a month or two, but I have to know why you want this job, Dr. Hart."

"If you talked to them, did the research and background check on me then I'm quite sure that you know who comes and goes from your prison on a daily basis meaning that you know that I'm here nearly every day for as long as I can be visiting Wade Kinsella, who is not only my boyfriend but the father to my child," she quickly explained, pausing to catch her breath. He was actually impressed that she had been that straight forward with him when it came to her dating a fellow inmate of his, most people would try to hide that, but like she had said, he knew just how many times she had been in to see him. It was one of those things that couldn't stay a secret. "But you have to understand that's not why I want to be here to work for you in the infirmary," she rushed out. "Working here it wouldn't be a charity thing and I wouldn't view it like that, but it would be nice to help them out. I don't know why or how any of the politics that happen in that yard between inmates and I'm not about ready to figure that out, but I do know that my boyfriend had a swollen eye yesterday that hadn't gotten the attention it deserved and I take health care very seriously and these guys need the help, and I want to make a difference. I'm not trying to bash your main doctor around here," she told him. "But I understand if me dating an inmate makes it so I can't work here, I get it," she quickly tacked on.

"I'm worried about that, but I have a feeling that he wouldn't risk his life like that and you wouldn't put yourself in a place to lose your job and daughter," he told her. Zoe nodded her head. She wasn't going to risk her life like that. "I'm going to keep a close eye on you and whatever they tell you about what's going on in my prison I expect you to tell me about it straight away." Again Zoe nodded her head. "I'll show you to the infirmary and you can start tomorrow," he informed her.

For the first time since she had woke up she was able to breath nerve free. He explained things that she needed to know as they walked through the halls, passing guards leading prisoners elsewhere. He had even informed her that he'd have a set of keys and a badge for her when she showed up in the morning. After seeing the little space that would be her office for the next 2 months the warden walked Zoe back to the doors she had entered through. "Thank you for this opportunity, I won't disappoint you, Warden Hayes," she told him with a bit of a brighter smile than the one she had wore going into the meeting.

* * *

When Monday rolled around for Wade, he was worse off than he had been Sunday. After Zoe's visit on Sunday he had gotten jumped when the guards weren't looking before lock down. He stumbled back to his cell, Joel giving him a hand when he had leaned against the cool cement wall, as the door was shut and locked for the night.

Monday right after breakfast, Jesse gave the go ahead to a couple of guys. He loved his little brother, but sometimes he found that his little brother needed to learn a lesson the hard way. For years Jesse did what was best for Wade, all he was doing now was looking out for him, showing him how life in prison would be like if he stayed behind when he broke out of the joint.

It was Wade that was taken to solitary confinement, when he was the one caught throwing a punch; after the older man in the infirmary patched him up. He sat in his cell, his thoughts the only void he had. He often thought about the day he got out, it was the one day he planned for. He'd make one stop on his way home, the animal shelter and he'd pick out the cutest little kitten for his daughter. He dreamt about hugging her and assuring her that things would be okay, playing silly little games and only worrying about tea parties and if Mr. Sniffles will get along with Mr. Truffle because Mr. Truffle stole Miss Unicorn from him. He wanted to be there to tuck his little girl into bed and read her a bedtime story, be there when she woke up in the morning, to protect her from the nightmares and the monster in her closet and under her bed.

Sitting in the quiet cell put so many things into prospective for him. He owed Jesse a lot, but he couldn't do it anymore, Evie and Zoe were his life now and they had to come first. Even though he already made his mind up about Jesse, he had to stick to it because he has been saying the same thing for months now and he'd go back on his words, but this time it was going to be different. He needed to be there for his daughter and his girlfriend. He smiled, closing his eyes remembering the day he was told that he was going to be a father.

 _Wade smiled watching the petite woman he called his girlfriend enter the bar mid-day when they place was pretty much empty, so he had a spare minute to spend with her. Sitting across from her he frowned seeing the worry in her chocolate eyes, he placed his hands on top of hers, waiting for her to say something._

 _They had been dating for 2 and a half months, sleeping with each other for almost 6 months. Friends for nearly 2 years even if they had known each other since they were 12. He knew when something was bothering her with a simple a look. He also knew that he had to wait just a few seconds and she'd spill whatever it was that she had on her mind._

 _"I should be shocked this happened to us but I'm not. It was bound to happen at some point. I would've liked us to actually have an actual conversation about it now that we're together and not from when we were just friends. Having your baby is great, but we never talked about when we wanted kids because we've only been serious for the past 46 days and we might not even last, but we'll always have this bond to each other through a baby," she ranted stopping to take a very much needed breath of air._

 _"Is this your way of saying I'm going to be a father?" He asked a smile growing on his lips._

 _"It is," she confirmed with a small nod._

 _"We talked about kids, Zo," those were the only words he was able to say. He was excited about being a father, worried he'd screw up but happy nonetheless._

" _Talking about how fun it would be to have kids when we're drunk, isn't the talk I was referring to," she retorted shaking her head._

" _I know, but we've been sober when we talked about kids, Zoe. We had decided months before we got together that if we couldn't find the right person to spend our lives with that we'd have kids together," he told her. "Right now is a bit sooner than we had decided on, but kids is something we both want and we got an early start on that. And if things between us go to hell one day, we know that we can remain civil and be friends for our child."_

" _We will be, if that happens. And yeah maybe us having a baby right now wasn't planned but it was something that we had planned to do, but I'm freaking out, Wade," she told him. "I want kids and I'm happy about this, but what if we're horrible parents?" She questioned chewing on her bottom lip._

 _Wade laughed, moving to sit next to her, his arm going around her to bring her close. "Not going to happen. We're going to rock at being parents. We knew 6 months ago when we started to have sex that you getting knocked up even with all the protection we've used, that it could happen and if you didn't think that this was something that you could handle you would have never agreed to get into bed with me," he told her. She sighed contently knowing just how right he was. She had thought over everything for nearly a week before agreeing to anything when it came to their little arrangement._

" _We're having a baby together," she smiled letting herself be happy for the first time about the news._

" _So I've been told," he smiled, kissing the top of her head his own happiness coming out._


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm sorry for the delay with this chapter, but getting sick takes a toll on you and I had no desire to write. The good news is that not only did I get my computer back last night, but updates should be back on track now for all my stories. I really do hope you guys enjoy this chapter and reviews would make for a lovely birthday gift today!**

* * *

Tuesday afternoon when Wade was brought out of solitary confinement his body was stiff and every little movement he made pain was there with a warm greeting. His eye was swollen shut and he was having a hard time breathing without being in constant pain.

The guard that was leading Wade back to his cell was an older guy with only a year left before he could retire and the guard had a soft spot for Wade and for Jesse, he was friends with Earl. He had spent plenty of times with Wade and Jesse to know what was going on with them and he really thought that Wade shouldn't be in there, but at the same time he had done the crime and he had to pay his time like the rest of them. Seeing Wade limping and hearing the soft groans of protest, the guard took Wade up to the infirmary.

"Dr. Hart, do you have a few spare minutes?" Jeremiah asked, sticking his head into her little office after seeing the other doctors were too busy and he felt like Wade needed a good thing right now.

"Yes, of course, what can I do for you?" She asked, getting up from her desk. She froze in her tracks seeing Wade leaning against the wall, his eyes closed. "Wade?" She gasped.

Wade's eye snapped open giving his girlfriend a weak smile. In all his pain and agony he had forgotten that she started today. "Hey, doc," he smirked with a grimace. Seeing her made the pain he was dealing with a little more bearable.

Zoe smiled softly despite the situation they were in; she closed the gap between them and wrapped her arm around him to help him to the cot. Being in each other's embrace was a welcoming feeling after spending so long not being able to hold each other's hand without Wade getting yelled at, as much as she wanted to keep Wade in her hold she helped him lay down. "What happened?" She asked, cupping his cheek, her thumb gently tracing the bruising on his left cheek.

"It's nothing, Doc," Wade told her softly. He didn't want to put her in a place where she would be forced to lie for him. The second he told her what went down she'd have to report it and more trouble was the last thing he was going to need for himself.

"It's something," she said standing up. She quickly got what it was she was going to need to take care of the cuts and his swollen eye the best she could. The first she did was gave him something to take to keep the pain away. Halfway through with getting him taken care of he had fallen asleep. She smiled softly, walking to where Jeremiah was waiting on her to finish with Wade. "It's best if he stays right where he's at for the night, thank you for bringing him to me," she told him.

"It's not a problem," he smiled at her. "I'll be back this time tomorrow to collect him."

Zoe nodded and headed to her office to get a few things taken care. She stayed where she'd be able to keep an eye on Wade while she worked. More than once she found herself questioning what it was she was doing here. She hated seeing Wade like that and at the end of the day she'd be the one to leave him behind. She just didn't know if it was something she could keep doing. Seeing Wade like that was enough to break her, she could deal with all the other inmates coming in for their own reasons, she didn't care what they had done to get the beat down they had gotten, she had asked what little she had to to figure out the best way to help them heal faster, but with Wade she wanted to go hunt Jesse down and figure out what the hell his problem was.

"What happened there?" Warden Hayes asked. Zoe looked up from what she was doing.

"I'm not sure, he told me it was nothing, but we both can see that it's more than that," she sighed, leaning back in her chair. Even if she did know what happened, she wouldn't have told. There was no way she was going to cause more trouble for Wade when all she wanted was for him to be safe.

"Just keep him here as long as you feel is necessary," Lavon told her, shocking her greatly. He chuckled seeing the surprise in her eyes. "I've read his case file and his brother's case file and something just doesn't add up, your boy here had just enough charges against him to get him locked up," Lavon told her.

"That makes sense," Zoe sighed, shaking her head. She had suspected something more was going on than what she had been told. Stealing a car wouldn't exactly land Wade in prison and she knew there was something to do with drugs and a gun but those were on Jesse. "Thank you," she told him, glancing at Wade's sleeping form.

"You're welcome, Big Z," he replied turning to leave. "I know I can be hard but I have to be like that, look where we're at, but underneath it all I have a heart that wants to see the good in every person that comes in here," he said, walking away.

It was the cough that brought her attention back to Wade. She rushed to his side. "You going to tell me what happened?" She asked rolling a chair over to sit on, her hand finding his as her right hand went to his hair.

"I've got it handled, I'll deal with this all when I get out of here," Wade told her sadness in his hard eyes. There was no way he was going to get her involved in anything to do with him or Jesse. This was his problem and he'd deal with it accordingly. "When am I getting my lovely escort outta here?"

"Maybe tomorrow at the earliest, depends on if I feel like it's okay for you to go back there, I was given orders to keep ya in this bed for as long as I think you should be here," she told him with a soft smile.

The laugh he let out turned into a coughing fit, his free hand holding his side. Zoe sighed, running her fingers through his hair; she bent over kissing his forehead feeling that on top of everything else he was getting a fever; after making sure that no one was looking. He reached up to cup her cheek, a warm smile on his lips. "I love you, Doc," he whispered.

"Right back at ya," she smiled, sitting up. "It was Jesse wasn't it? He had something to do with this, when you're this badly hurt it always leads back to him," she commented with a snarl.

"Just leave it alone, Zoe," Wade told her. She went to protest but he sent her a glare, he really didn't want her to get mixed up with whatever it was Jesse up to, this was his battle and he'd deal with it, the less she knew the better it was for everyone involved.

"Fine," she told him softly. "You rest and I'll be back later in the day to check on you," she informed him. She got up but he was quick enough to catch her hand.

"Don't be mad at me about this, Zoe. It needs to be this way," he tired.

Taking a deep breath she looked at him giving his hand a gently squeeze. "I'm not mad at you, just this whole situation. Rest and when I come back I'll tell you about Evie." He smiled not caring about the pain that made his lips feel like they were being split right in half.

* * *

"How was it?" Lemon asked later that night when Zoe entered the Rammer Jammer.

"Horrible," Zoe sighed, kissing her daughter's head. "He was brought in and he…" she trailed off, running her fingers through her daughter's hair, she couldn't say it, it was bad enough that the image of her boyfriend beaten and bruised was burnt in her mind every time she closed her eyes.

"That bad?" Lemon questioned with a sympathetic look.

"Worse," Zoe commented, shaking her head. "I don't know how long I can do this for. It was so much easier when I saw him for a few minutes, I worried about him then but now the worry is worse, I hate everything about it," she said. "I want my family to be whole again."

"I get it, Zoe," Lemon told her, reaching across the table to put her hand on top of her friends, giving her some sort of comfort. "He'll be home soon enough."

Zoe looked down shaking her head. Looking up she was meet curious eyes of Lemon. Without giving anything away to make her daughter question anymore on where her father was, Zoe explained how her day had been and what had been said when she talked to the warden about Wade.

"I think maybe I should have a little talk with this Lavon," George said, joining them half way through Zoe's tale. "If anything it will only help Wade out."

"I can't stop you," Zoe told him. "Just find a way to get him out of there."

George promised he'd do the best he could but he couldn't promise her something that he didn't know if he could do. The evidence was against Wade just enough to keep him there.


	5. Chapter 5

**Just a quick FYI this chapter took on a mind of its own, enjoy!**

* * *

Zoe walked into the infirmary early the next morning, she couldn't sleep any longer, so she called her step-father Ethan Hart to come watch Evie until it was time for her to go into day care. As much as she loved spending the mornings with her daughter, she was really missing her boyfriend and the worry was there and she couldn't escape the worry that had seeped in.

When Ethan had showed up Zoe left, Ethan had been spent a handful of morning with Evie that he knew the routine. Evie loved Ethan and so did Zoe, until the age of 12 she had thought that Ethan was her father, but Ethan not able to lie to Zoe any longer sat her down and told her the truth and together the two of them traveled to see Harley Wilkes. A year later saw Zoe, Candice and Ethan moving to Mobile so Zoe could be closer to her father; it had actually been Ethan's suggestion. Ethan wanted Zoe to know the man that was her father, for a minute he was worried that Zoe would cast him aside, but she had enough room for both father's in her life. Candice had fought him on it, but he simply told his wife he was moving with or without her and he would be taking Zoe with him.

At the end of the day Zoe was happy that she was able to call two great and amazing men her father, each one loved her and they only wanted the best for her. And now Evie had three amazing grandfather's that adored her.

With Wade being the only one in the infirmary, Zoe laid down next to him pulling his arms around her, letting herself forget where they were at. She had sent the overnight doctor home so it was just her and Wade. She smiled letting her eyes drift shut.

Wade woke up halfway, feeling a warm petite body pressed against him, on instinct he pulled the body closer, taking in the sent that was his girlfriend, honey and wild berries; he smiled, his lips grazing her neck. All the things that Zoe could be reckless about this wasn't one of those things, so for her to be next to him, it was safe for him to do what he could only dream about for the past 3 months.

Zoe smiled a soft moan escaping; she rolled over lying on top of Wade, careful not to hurt him in the process. "Hi," she told him softly, her lips barely touching his.

"Hi," he breathed out, his free hand going under her shirt pushing the cup of her bra out of his way, his callused fingers roughly grabbing her breast, while his hand that was cuffed to the bed, gripped her hip, his thumb caressing small circles into her flesh. "What are you doing here?" He asked, brushing his lips against hers.

"Couldn't sleep, figured I'd come in early and spend an extra hour with my boyfriend," she explained closing her eyes biting back a moan attacking his lips with hunger.

Wade wasted no time slipping his tongue along her bottom lip, wanting access to his girlfriend's mouth. He wouldn't waste a single second of the time they had together.

Wade ran his fingers through his girlfriend's hair, as creepy as it was to watch her sleep he just couldn't get enough, knowing full well that he wouldn't get to indulge himself with a moment like this for the next year and he was going to take what time he had to burn the image in front of him into his brain.

* * *

With the outside world around them starting to wake up, he sighed gently nudging his girlfriend awake. It was that moment watching as she woke her eyes fluttering open, a serene look in her brown eyes that he yearned for, that each morning he woke up on a hard bunk that he missed the small moments with Zoe, that the reality of what he had done was sitting in front of him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, resting his forehead against hers.

"I know," she replied softly, cupping his face, her thumb caressing his cheek where his bruise was at. "I should go," she paused taking a deep breath, she didn't want to move, she didn't want the reality of it all to be there. But she couldn't get caught and not only would another doctor be around shortly but the guard she had sent away as well.

"Yeah," he commented, letting her go, his hand staying in hers gently squeezing. "Who was with Evie?" He questioned, he felt like a bad father for so many reasons but the fact that with Zoe here that he had forgotten all about his daughter.

"Ethan, he has the day off so I'm not really sure if she'll make it to day care of if he'll keep her until I get back, I'll call him when I get a break," she informed him with a soft smile.

Wade nodded, dropping her hand letting her go, watching as she left him. She'd be back to check on him, it was her job after all. But it was the love she had for him, she wouldn't always be there for him and that thought had scared him, her and Evie were his life, but he kept putting Jesse before them and it amazed him that she was still there giving him the benefit of the doubt on all of this. It only made his case with Jesse that much more like the right thing to do. Turning his back on family was wrong but he now had his only family to think about and he couldn't be a father to Evie behind bars and he couldn't be a boyfriend or even a husband to Zoe locked away. Letting Jesse go was the right thing to do and he no longer had doubts about that.

* * *

Zoe had just walked out of the prison headed to her car when she had been stopped by someone calling her name. "What I can I do for you?" She asked turning around surprised to see the warden's secretary quickly walking up to her.

"Please call me AB," Annabeth told her with a soft smile. "I was in early this morning to get a few things taken care of that I didn't have time for last night and well here," she told Zoe placing a card in her hand.

"But I'm not married," Zoe commented confused as to why she was being handed a pass to have any conjugal visits with Wade.

"I know," AB told her. "But I saw you this morning and the camera's got everything, but don't worry," she told a freaked out Zoe, "it's been taken care of and no one else will find out about it and I won't tell a soul," she promised Zoe. All Zoe could do was nod. "It's best to limit the use of it and make sure you have Jeremiah as a guard, he's about the only guard that can be fully trusted around here," she informed Zoe.

"Why are you doing this? What about the warden?" Zoe quickly asked, looking up at AB.

"In a place like this we need friends, makes working here easier," AB commented. "Because you didn't just wake up one morning and decide that you were going to work at a prison, it was only three months after your boyfriend show up here that you came in needing to work here, you can't get enough of him and you seem like a nice person and what I saw of your boyfriend he's not a hardened criminal like most those guys in there, you're a good person and you would have the rights if you were married to him, just something about how sad he was and how happy you were to spend just a few seconds in his arms makes me feel like this is the right thing to do," she explained. "As for the warden, well I'll handle my husband if need be," she said, walking away leaving Zoe standing the middle of the parking lot to figure out what just happened.

* * *

After checking in with Ethan to see what went on with Evie, which she learned that her daughter was in charge and Ethan was letting her pick things out for them to do for the day, Zoe walked over to the bed Wade was sitting up in.

"When you kicking me outta here?" He questioned. Zoe said nothing as she got busy to change the bandage that was on his ribs. "Doc, you okay?" He questioned, using a finger to tip her head up.

"Everything's fine, why?" She asked him, mustering up a smile for him.

"Because I've known you for a long time, Doc, I know things aren't fine, so what is it?" He asked softly.

"It really is nothing, just something that happened, a conversation I had earlier today, I'm just trying to wrap my mind around why someone would go so far out of their way for someone else," she told him.

"I do hope it's a good thing," he stated. "If this about me not telling you what happened, I can't do that, Zoe."

She shook her head. "This has nothing to do with why you look like shit," she spit out. "I don't get why you won't tell me, but I'm not going to question it, you have your reasons," she sighed, taking his hands in hers. "It is a good thing, a very good thing," she told him, quickly looking around to see if she had enough time to press a small kiss to his lips.

She jumped back hearing the throat being cleared. Wade cursed under his breath; getting Zoe in trouble was never the plan for anything.

"Do you mind?" Jeremiah asked lightly laughing at the horror faces they were making.

"He's all yours," Zoe commented getting up. "But I will expect him back in a few days," she said turning to Wade. "And please take it easy," she pleaded with him.

"I can't make any promise," he replied softly and sadly. "I love you," he mouthed walking past her. He glanced back when he got to the door to see Zoe mouth back her love for him.


	6. Chapter 6

_Zoe took in the small town on the short drive through it. She had been really mad at her mom for lying to her and keeping her away from her real father for the past 12 years of her life. She loved Ethan and she would see him as a father, he had raised her as his own and that hadn't changed when he learned the truth and it wasn't possible for her to turn the love off she felt for him. He was stuck with having her as a daughter._

 _"_ _Do you think he's going to like me?" Zoe asked just as Ethan pulled into the driveway of Harley's place._

 _"_ _He's not going to like you," he was saying and Zoe hung her head, wanting to be elsewhere in that moment. "He's going to love you, Zoe," Ethan finished telling her. That made a small smile grace her lips, settling the nerves that were getting the best of her. "You ready for this?" He asked her._

 _Zoe shook her head. "I'm not, but I have to do this, we came all this way and I owe him that much," she said, pulling the door handle to push her door open. She was going into this whole thing with an open mind._

 _Getting to the door Ethan knocked but no one ever answered the door. They were discussing what they wanted to do. Either they could wait until later in the day and come back to talk to him or drop in on him while he was working._

 _"_ _If you're looking for Dr. Wilkes you won't find him around here today." They had looked up at the sudden voice. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya," he chuckled, relaxing on his bicycle._

 _"_ _Do you know where he is?" Zoe asked, moving to the edge of the porch to get a better look at the person talking to them. "It's kinda urgent," she told him, looking down, feeling her cheeks flush a pink color under his gaze. He was cute and she had an instant crush on him._

 _"_ _He'll be back later tonight, that's all I know," the guy shrugged. "Anything I can help you with?"_

 _"_ _Not to be rude, but I don't even know your name," Zoe told him. "But no you can't help us," she said shaking her head._

 _"_ _I'm Wade, but you never mentioned your name sweetheart," he smirked watching the pink that had tinted her cheeks turning a darker shade._

 _"_ _Zoe," she told him. She looked behind her to see that Ethan had an amused look on his face; he nodded his head, letting Zoe decide what it was she wanted to do. "How well do you know Harley?" She questioned turning back to look at Wade._

 _"_ _I know him alright," he shrugged. "Why?" He questioned._

 _"_ _Would it be okay with you if you happened to tell me things about him?" She asked._

 _"_ _Sure if you can tell me why you want to know about him. You and your pops back there ain't up to any shady business with him, are ya?" Wade questioned. With as pretty and as harmless as she looked he didn't think that was what they were up, but his curiosity was getting the better of him._

 _"_ _He's my father," Zoe told him quietly and nervously, moving to stand next to him on the sidewalk so no one else could hear. "I just learned the truth and coming here was the right thing to do," she added on._

 _Hearing that news he didn't know what to say so he didn't comment on it at all instead saying, "we can head over to the Jammer and get a bite to eat and I can fill ya in on what I know," he told her, turning his bike around._

 _"_ _I'll be around town," Ethan let her know._

 _"_ _Okay," she commented, walking off with Wade, who was sitting on his bike using his feet to push him along._

 _On the short walk to the Rammer Jammer, they had got lost in an easy going conversation learning a bit more about each and he had filled her in on the town they were in. She liked it a lot, didn't like the fact that she would be leaving in just a few short days, but she couldn't figure out if it was because she'd no longer get the chance to see Wade until her next visit to the small charming little town whenever that happened to be or if it was the town itself._

 _"_ _Yo, Jesse two burgers and fries," Wade called out to his brother who was standing behind the counter working._

 _"_ _What do you want to wash that crap down with?" Jesse asked, glancing to where his brother was with some strange chick._

 _"_ _Is coke good with you?" Wade asked Zoe. She nodded her head. "Two cokes," he informed his brother, leading Zoe to a table._

 _They were in the middle of a story about Harley when Jesse walked out dropping the plates of food on the table. With a crocked smile he sat down next to Zoe, his arm on the back of her chair. "Who's the chick?" He asked his brother ignoring Zoe._

 _"_ _None of your damn business, Jesse, now get," Wade hissed. He barely knew Zoe but he could see that she was getting uncomfortable with Jesse sitting next to her. Since meeting her she'd been on the talkative side and now she was acting almost like she was shy, he found it cute and he was fighting the urge to kiss her._

 _"_ _Touchy," Jesse laughed, getting up. "When you're ready to move on from this one, come find me," he winked walking away._

 _"_ _I'm sorry about him," Wade was quick to say._

 _"_ _We can't pick our family, Wade," she told him, giving him a hint of a smile. "I've learned that just recently," she sighed, picking a fry up only to drop back on her plate._

 _"_ _Yeah," he agreed, feeling like this little thing between them was coming to an end all because of his brother and to ruin it. He was enjoying his time with Zoe._

 _"_ _I should go find my Dad," she told him getting up. She had been having fun with Wade, enjoying his company but than Jesse happened and she just wanted to get away._

 _"_ _Alright, at least let me walk with ya until we find him," he told her, getting up and walking outside, not even wanting to see if she had followed him. He cursed under his breath at his brother for ruining what they had going on. "I hope I was some help," he told her when they spotted Ethan in town square._

 _"_ _You were and thank you," she told him, standing next to him nervously._

 _He leaned over to lightly kiss her, his lips pressing against hers. He smirked, riding away from her, catching the blush she was sporting as she walked up to her father. He did hope that everything would work out for her; he really wouldn't mind seeing her around more often._

* * *

"Ever since that bitch walked into your life," Jesse was saying when he was met with a fist to the face, his smirk staying in place. He brought his hand up to wipe away the blood that was trickling from his lip.

"Don't you fucking talk about her, ever," Wade hissed, daring his brother to say another word about his girlfriend. He was caught off guard when Jesse dropped to the ground laughing, Wade followed suit.

"Dude you know that I have nothing against her, she gave you Evie and that's great, but somewhere along the line you've forgotten who your loyalty needs to lie with," he said his calm and collected voice drifting off into a hiss. He had gave up his life just so his little brother could have one and Wade was turning his back on him and that didn't sit right with Jesse, that wasn't how one should go about repaying the person that gave up everything so you could have everything.

"No, Jesse," Wade told his brother shaking his head. "You're my brother and I owe a lot to you, but being locked away had only put things in perspective for me, I need to be there for my family, for my daughter. She needs me Jesse, with me locked up here, it's like I've abandoned her and we both know how that feels," he explained, shaking his head slightly.

"I get it," Jesse sighed. "But are you really going to toss me to the side and forget everything I have ever done for you?"

Wade shook his head. "No, because you gave me a life I can be proud of, but now I need to make a life my daughter can be proud of. I hate sitting in here and missing out on her growing up, but I'm always going to be here for you Jesse, just not in the sense that I'm going to help you do stupid shit to land my ass in this place ever again," Wade sighed. He had been ready to fight his brother, it wouldn't be the first time they had drawn any blood, but now sitting here he was getting exhausted from the talk with his brother. "It's time to grow up," Wade told him standing up.

"It's whatever," Jesse told him a smirk coming out that made Wade uneasy. "You don't want to help me fine, I've got all the resources I need, but I'm more than capable of talking to that pretty little baby momma of yours," he spewed out, getting to his feet.

Wade was ready to lunge forward and attack his bother when he caught sight of the guard keeping an eye on them. "Stay the hell away from her," Wade growled.

"I can't promise anything, considering you had her come work here as a doctor," Jesse laughed, leaving his little bother pissed off and stewing in his own anger.

He angrily pushed a hand through his short hair suddenly more pissed with himself than at his brother. He wanted Zoe to be here for his own selfish reasons. He thought it would be okay, that he would be able to touch her without getting a hand chopped off. He didn't think that Jesse would actually go through with using Zoe, he was starting to regret ever having Zoe come and work at the prison, and he should've left it alone.


	7. Chapter 7

**I apologize for taking over two weeks to update this story, but I couldn't get the first part to come out right, I had plans of this chapter being one long flash back, but I had problems getting things to line up that way. I do hope you all like this chapter, enjoy!**

* * *

 _"_ _Daddy," a 2 year old Evie giggled running into the Rammer Jammer, pushing her way past anyone that dared to get in her way. She hadn't seen her daddy since that morning and she really missed him._

 _Wade laughed, dropping the rag in his hand, his eyes never leaving his little girl as she made her way through the small maze of people. He smiled stepping around the bar to pick the little girl up, tossing her in the air making her giggles louder. Catching her he placed her on his hip, kissing her little cheek. He quickly kissed his girlfriend when Zoe was right next to them. "What are you doing here?" He asked with a silly smile on his face as he placed Evie down at a table._

 _"_ _To eat Daddy, duh," Evie told him rolling her little eyes. "You know noffin," she huffed, making Wade hold his own amusement at his little girl in._

 _It took Zoe everything she had not to laugh at the scene before her. "Yeah, Daddy, we came for the food," Zoe laughed._

 _"Ya know t_ _hat really hurts," he responded in a sad voice, his bottom lip trembling, his hands resting over his heart._

 _"_ _Silly Daddy," Evie giggled, holding her arms up. When Wade picked her up she placed a loud little kiss to his cheek. "Love you," she told him._

 _"_ _Love you too sweetie," he replied plopping her back in her seat. "I'll bring your food out, want breakfast?" He asked. Evie nodded her head with a big smile on her face. "Want your usual babe?" He asked looking at Zoe._

 _"_ _Yes please," she smiled._

 _When he returned with the food he sat down to enjoy a few minutes with his little family, sharing laughs and funny faces with his daughter._

It was hard to ever remember a time when little things like sharing a meal with family seemed like something he would never have or something that was never important enough, but now he knew just how important things like that really were and he couldn't wait until he was able to sit down at a table and make those memories once again.

"You want a family?" Wade asked, looking at the little picture he had of Zoe and Evie since he first showed up.

"I had thought so at one point, but I don't know anymore, by the time I get freed from this place, it won't be worth it," Joel replied somberly, placing the book he was reading down on his chest careful so he wouldn't lose his spot.

"It's always worth it," Wade replied, stretching his legs out a little on his bed. "Nothing else matters except for those two. Hell I didn't think I'd want a family after losing my mom and technically my dad, but having Zoe there and then Evie, they make it better," he sighed.

"Then what the hell are you doing in here?" Joel asked with a slight smirk. "Don't give me the excuse that you'd do anything for Jesse, you don't owe him shit. You would've been just fine without him around," Joel mussed.

"I guess so and now that I've thought about it, I don't why I'm here," Wade sighed, putting the picture down.

"You can't let your brother control your life, Wade," Joel commented going back to his book.

"You sound like my girlfriend," Wade tossed out with a smile on his face.

"If she's so damn smart why in the hell is she with you?" Joel asked laughing.

"I wouldn't know," Wade sighed the smile on his face staying in place. Zoe being him with him was something he stopped questioning a long time ago.

* * *

Zoe spent her morning worrying about if Wade was going to come through the doors worse than the first day she had worked there but in the week she had been there she hadn't seen him back and she was taking that as a good thing. She enjoyed working at the prison, the guys as intimidating as they wanted others to believe they were she found they weren't so bad. As much as she enjoyed working there, she had her regrets as well. She had seen her boyfriend more when she didn't work there, she didn't feel right going down to visit him after she was done with work, she didn't care much about how that made her look, she had been with Wade years before he ever ended up in prison, she knew what kind of person he was and she didn't really care if she would be risking her job by going down there to see him, but rather she had found on a certain level that it was just easier this way.

She still had the pass but she refused to use it, she couldn't get anyone else in trouble for her. And as nice as it would be to have a few moments alone with him, she just wasn't certain of it, she had decided that losing her job over it would be okay, but she couldn't and wouldn't let Annabeth get in trouble and there was no way she'd let Wade get more time tacked onto his sentence. She wanted him to be home sooner rather than later.

"Someone seems to be in deep thought." She closed her eyes, turning to look at the man she had once considered a friend but now she couldn't stand the sight of him. She had prided herself on not outright hating someone, she had been taught it's wrong to hate someone that it was always better to dislike a person, but her dislike for the man in front of her ran out a long time ago and hate had been left in its wake.

"What do you want, Jesse?" Zoe asked her eyes scanning over what skin she could see coming up empty on why he was standing in the infirmary.

"I need your help, Zoe," he smirked, sitting down. "Wade doesn't matter, so don't ask questions about him. If you want your precious little boyfriend to be whole and to come back to you in one piece you'll do as I say and you won't rat me out, we clear?" He asked.

"What do you want me to do?" She found herself asking, she wanted to refuse him, but part of her feared what he would do to Wade.

"Nothing now, but when the time comes, you'll be the first one to know," he told her, getting up. "I'm happy that you see the bigger picture here, Doctor. Just in case you think otherwise on backing out of this deal or ever running off to the warden, I'll be sending you a little incentive to keep your trap shut," he informed her, going to wait for the guard.

She clumsily fell into her chair once Jesse was led out. There was only one thing she could think of to do. She dug in her purse looking for what she needed.

* * *

"What's going on?" Wade asked entering the room, to see Zoe pacing around the room confused on how any of this was even happening. "How in the hell did you pull this off?" He asked, walking up to Zoe to pull her into his arms.

"What's Jesse deal?" She asked, resting her head against his shoulder, ignoring his questions. She felt him tense up. "He came to see me, made a pretty interesting threat that I'm sure has something to do with you," she added on. Wade sighed knowing that he could no longer keep her away from what was going on between him and his brother.

"He's being stupid and wants us to break out of here, but I didn't agree to shit, I've been trying to talk him out of it, you can't agree to do anything for him, you hear me, Zoe?" He questioned, pulling away enough to look into her eyes, his fingers digging into her hips.

"If I don't, then he's going to do something to you, I'm sure of it," she pleaded with him, her hands resting on his chest.

"I can handle myself, Zoe," he told her, letting his forehead rest against hers. "You have to think about everything else. "I'll be fine," he whispered. She nodded her head.

"I wasn't going to help him with anything, but I can't let him hurt you, Wade," she told him, wanting him to know that she had no plans of going along with his brother. "I'm trying to look out for you."

"I appreciate you trying to do that and for giving me this little heads up on Jesse, but now you want to answer my previous question on how you were able to pull this off?" He asked motioning to the room they were in. Zoe smiled and explained the whole conversation she had with AB a few days previously. "You're sneaky Doc, getting into bed with the warden's wife," he smirked, capturing her lips in a heated kiss, giving Zoe no time to respond.


	8. Chapter 8

"Mommy, can we keep her?" Evie yelled running into the house, a black and white spotted kitten in her little arms. "Please?" She asked with a small pout, a look Zoe had a problem saying no too.

"Where did you get the kitten at, sweetie?" Zoe asked, crouching down to gently scratch the kitten's head, hearing the soft purr coming from the kitten.

"Missy had them, Annie told me I could have her," she pleaded with her mom.

"Does Mrs. Warner know you have this kitten?" Zoe asked. Evie shook her head no. "We have to take her back, sweetie, she might still need her mommy, okay?" Zoe asked her daughter. Evie nodded, sadly following her mom out the door to return the kitten.

"I'm never gettin' a kitty," Evie yelled, running as fast as she could to her room, when they returned home. Zoe sighed, watching her baby girl storm off.

"She's totally your daughter," Lemon laughed. Zoe shook her head waking to the kitchen. "Explain to me again why the one thing she wants she can't have," Lemon said, leaning on the counter top.

"Because Wade was going to get her one and I feel like if I let her have a cat before he gets home that I'm taking it away from him and with everything that he's missing out on now, I can't take that away from him too," Zoe explained, pouring some coffee into a coffee cup. "Want some?" Zoe offered.

"No, I'm good," Lemon told her. "But it's his fault to begin with and you can't punish Evie for what Wade did," Lemon stressed.

"I know, but I can't take something like that away from Wade either, it was the one thing that he wanted to do for her, how do I tell him that I've taken that away from him?" She questioned.

"I get you have a loyalty to Wade, you love him and you want him to have this, but that little girl is in tears because she can't have the two things she wants in the world, she wants her father and she wants a kitten. You can't get Wade for her but you can let her have that kitten, Wade he'll understand and if he doesn't, he only has himself to blame." Wade had been her friend once, but what he had done was on him and she didn't like seeing what his mess was doing to those that loved him and the ones that he loved. She felt bad for Evie and she wanted that little girl to be happy, Wade had gotten himself into this mess and he knew what could happen if he went through with it, she didn't feel sorry for him, not this time.

"I get what you're saying, Lemon," Zoe sighed, her finger nails strumming on the dark purple ceramic cup in her hands. "But I just…" she paused not even sure what it was she was trying to say. She was torn on what it was she should do. She wanted to give her daughter the kitten she wanted but at the same time she wanted Wade to be able to do that like he had promised he would. "Whether I get her a kitten or not I have to talk to Wade about it," she finally decided on. Just because he was locked up didn't mean she had to cut him out of things.

"You do whatever it is you have to do, Zoe, I'm not telling you how to raise your child now that Wade is where he's at, I'm just trying to help you and Evie so this whole thing is easier for the both of you," Lemon told her friend.

"I know and I'm thankful for that," Zoe told her. "She's staying the night with Harley, so after he gets off of work, he'll be around to get her, make sure she has everything?" Zoe questioned, letting her friend know what was going on with Evie.

"Will do, you just think about getting that daughter of yours what she really wants," Lemon told her with a cheeky smile. Zoe laughed, heading up to tell her daughter that she loved her and that she'd see her tomorrow.

* * *

"You have something you need to tell me?" Wade asked, taking a seat next to his brother outside.

"Come to your senses have you?" Jesse asked back with an all knowing smirk smugly on his face. He knew what buttons it was he needed to push and he pushed the right ones.

"Whatever plan you're up to, you don't need to get Zoe involved, just leave her out of this thing and I'll do whatever it is you need done," Wade sighed. He had thought about it all night. It had been easy to decide what it was he was going to do. He couldn't let Zoe get involved in whatever the hell his brother had planned, couldn't let her take a risk like that, not when they had Evie to worry about but it wasn't just about his daughter so sacrificing himself it was the only thing that made sense.

"You do know that most everyone else around this yard would be jumping at the bit to ditch this place, why stay here?" Jesse asked him.

Wade sighed, looking down at the ground shaking his head slightly. "Because if I escape this place it means that I won't get to see my family, that I'll be on the run for the rest of my life and that's a life I don't want, Jesse. You stayed and you took care of me, wanting what was best for me, what happened to that guy?" Wade asked, lifting his head up to look over at his brother. "You wanted so much but you let things get so messed up, you can still come back from this Jesse, can't you see that?"

"I ain't ever gettin' outta this place, Wade," he replied shaking his head. "I tried to be the brother you needed but that shit got old fast, it was always fun and when it wasn't any longer I was in too deep," he sighed. Wade remained quiet wanting to know where this was going. Jesse had never once told him what it was that he had ever went through on why he had chosen a life of crime over an honest life. "That last job we got caught for, that was the last one ever, I swear it. After it was over with I had plans of getting my life turned around and now that I'm not going to be seeing the outside world ever again, I need out, Wade."

"You're not spending your life here, you'll get out," Wade assured him.

"You don't get it Wade," Jesse snapped at under his breath. "When I do get out, there's not going to be anything left for me, I'll be too old for anything, hell by the time I get out of here your daughter will be off married with her own kids," he stated, making Wade see just where it was he was coming from.

"I don't even want to think that far ahead," Wade said with a chill running down his back at the very idea of his baby girl married with kids of her own. "Trying to escape this place, won't work out the way you think it does, you'll get caught before you get anywhere and you'll add more time to your sentence," Wade told him, trying to make him see all the logic in what it was he had planned.

"What I do after today is on me to worry about. When you get out of here, you take care of your family; have that little boy you always wanted, make Zoe your wife, but most importantly just be happy," Jesse told his brother, getting up. "This time listen to me, Wade. I need you to do what I tell you to do, I never wanted you in this place, no matter what I may have said," he told Wade with a sigh. "You deserve better than any of this."

"I don't like the way this sounds, Jesse," Wade said jumping up, placing his hand on his brother's shoulder to keep him from walking away.

"I'm sorry, Wade, so damn sorry," Jesse muttered, turning around, bringing Wade close. "I love you and tell your girl that you'll be home soon," Jesse told him, softly. Wade went to say something but the words were cut off when he felt something sharp penetrate his side. "I'm sorry little brother, I never meant to hurt you," Jesse muttered, holding onto Wade for a split second longer, before finally letting him go and walking off.

* * *

 _"Why won't you tell me what it is we're doing?" Wade asked getting annoyed with what little he was being told. When he had agreed to help Jesse out he thought it would be the same thing they have been doing, stealing a car had always been easy, selling it to a chop shop was nothing, but after they had stolen the car, they had been on the road for hours and the sun was starting to come up. If they didn't hurry up with whatever it was Jesse just had to do, they were going to get caught in the stolen car and he'd be breaking the promise he had made to his girlfriend and the very idea of breaking that promise pained him._

 _"Because you don't need to know," Jesse hissed at him. "It's better if you don't know what we're doing, the less trouble you'll be in if things go south."_

 _"What the hell, Jesse?" Wade yelled. "What's going on? I don't like this a single bit," he quickly told his brother, ready to ditch him._

 _"It's safer if you don't know the details," Jesse told him, pulling up a long dirt driveway. "There's something I need to do, just stay put and drive if something goes wrong, don't follow me in and don't come after me," Jesse warned._

 _"For fuck's sake, Jesse, tell me something here, it sounds like you're about ready to waltz into a house and kill someone," Wade shouted frustrated. "Are you?" Wade asked after Jesse said nothing, slowing the car down in front of a brick house._

 _"You don't need to know what's going to happen when I step out of this car, just get ready to run," Jesse told him, making his exit from the car before Wade had a chance to ask another question._

 _Wade cursed under his breath, moving over to the driver's seat of the car, doing what Jesse had asked from him. He jumped hearing the shot slice through the dead silent of the early morning. His eyes trained on the front of the house, waiting for Jesse to come running from the front doors. With each second that passed, Wade got more nervous on what was going on inside the house. Not able to take it any longer, Wade got out of the car and made his way across the front lawn to the steps; looking through the open door he could see a small puddle of blood. A string of curse words made there way out of his mouth. Feeling the hand on his arm had Wade spinning around swinging a punch._

 _"I thought I told you to stay in the car," Jesse yelled, shoving Wade slightly, his fingers ghosting over the spot on his jaw Wade had hit._

 _"I thought you were dead, asshole," Wade yelled back, glaring at his brother._

 _Jesse didn't say anything just swung at his brother, leaving his own mark on his brother's flesh from his fist. "We can finish this damn fight later, but we best be going, before the cops show up," Jesse hissed, turning around and storming outside._

 _Wade followed behind his brother, feeling his eye start to throb. "What the…" Wade was in the process of asking when he ran into the back belonging to his brother, taking a look around Jesse, he found that they had been surrounded by the police. "Fuck," Wade cursed loud enough to be heard by everyone._


	9. Chapter 9

**It didn't seem fair to keep this chapter and make you all wait until I finish the chapters for the other two stories like I've been doing for the past two weeks, so happy Monday everyone and enjoy!**

* * *

Zoe had barely gotten to the prison her mind racing of what the message was Jesse was going to be sending her. Seeing the guards rush in, she realized she didn't have to wait any longer to figure it out. Part of her was expecting to see Wade; she was even expecting him to be covered in blood. But what she saw she wasn't ready for that.

She worked quickly in a fog, her whole body numb while she worked to get the wound cleaned up and stitched back together. Here she was going to find away to talk to Wade about a damn kitten and he was fighting for his life before her very own eyes, it was something she didn't ever want to experience again.

"She brought a kitten home with her this morning," she told Wade with a sigh as she sat next to him, waiting on him to wake up. "She was heartbroken when she had to return the kitten, but she didn't want the kitten to be sad because she didn't have her mommy. It was a real struggle for her," she continued.

"Let her…" Wade was in the process of saying when he started to cough. Zoe was up and over to him instantly to help him out. "Have the kitten, Zoe. I want her to be happy," he told her barely above a whisper.

"She'll be fine I can't take that away from you but Wade," she said; bring her hand up to his face, tears building in her eyes once more. "I really thought I was going to lose you," she told him in a tender tone. He brought his hand up wrapping his fingers around her hand.

"Not that easy to get rid of me, baby," he joked. "Jesse," he winced, moving just a little.

"What about Jesse?" Zoe asked. "I heard them talking and they know he had done this to you." Wade nodded his head. He still had no idea what it was his brother was up too but he didn't like it.

"He said I'd be home soon, he's doing something stupid," Wade started to explain.

"And he's making sure that you can't interfere by sending you here," Zoe sighed. She may not like Jesse, but he was Wade and even Evie's family and because of that she felt their pain. Wade only nodded with what she had said. "I can't do much but I'll figure something out on what it is he is doing," she sighed.

"Call George," Wade told her. Zoe nodded, lightly kissing his knuckles.

"You get some more rest," she told him, walking off to call George.

Her call had gone straight to voicemail. She left a message for him to call her back. She went back to check on Wade as he was the only one in there, but he was sleeping. She stood over him watching as he slept. Even though Wade told her to get her the kitten she couldn't do that, Evie could wait, she couldn't take the one thing Wade wanted to do for their daughter away from him. Evie had to learn that she can't always get her way, Evie would be okay. She loved to spoil her daughter from time to time but it wasn't going to keeping happening, her daughter was going to know what the word no meant.

"Zoe." Hearing her name brought her out of her thoughts, she smiled looking up at George.

"What do you know?" She asked him, softly looking around to make sure that no one was there to listen in to what they were talking about.

"So far nothing, I'm going to see Jesse, he asked to see me as his lawyer, once I know more I'll let you know," George informed her. Zoe nodded knowing that was the best George could do for her, he was already breaking the rules by letting her know things that were going on in the case. "How's Wade doing?" George asked his eyes trained on his long time best friend.

"He'll be fine, other than the pain, he's doing well," Zoe let him know. George nodded, walking out, the guard leading him away. She sighed sitting down to do some paper work, she made sure that she could see Wade at all times, she didn't want something to happen to him when she wasn't looking.

* * *

George sat down at an empty table to wait for the guards to bring Jesse in. He wasn't left waiting long. He could easily see the light tint of blood on his once upon a time friend's hands. "What the hell did you do?" George hissed before Jesse was even sitting down at the table with him.

"Relax, would ya?" Jesse joked tying to lighten the mood, not that it worked. "Forcing Wade into this place was wrong of me to do, I see the error of my ways and I'm trying to fix that for him," Jesse confessed, resting his hands on the table. "I'm willing to talk now, just promise me that you'll get Wade out of here."

"I'll do my best with whatever you give me, but I can't promise that if I don't know what happened that night, you both refusing to talk didn't help your case any or his for that matter," George told him. "Tell me what happened that night and I'll do everything I can to get your brother out of here," he reasoned with Jesse.

"Okay," Jesse told him.

 _"I'm not doing that," Jesse protested looking at the man before him. He had no problem stealing a car, no problem beating people up because they refused to pay, threatening people that was easy as well, but to go into someone's house and shoot them in cold blood he couldn't do that and he wouldn't do that._

 _"If you care about that family of yours you will do as I say," the man growled. Jesse shook his head, refusing to do it, he wasn't a killer, a drug dealer, a thief, a crook and many other things but he had never killed a person and he wasn't about to start now for anyone. "I'll start with that pretty little doctor of your brother's then your brother all while your niece is watching then I'll shoot her between the eyes," he promised._

 _"You'll leave them alone," Jesse growled. He felt like shit for getting his brother dragged into his mess. "Do what you want with me, but you won't touch them."_

 _"You can't stop me, Jesse," he smirked. "You want out and I need someone to pay for the mistakes his father made, you do this one thing for me and you'll never see me again and your family will be safe. Seems like a good trade to me, doesn't it?"_

 _"Jesse, you should do as he says." He looked to his left to see who was warning him. Jesse glared at the younger man, turning his attention back to the ring leader of this damn show._

 _"I do this, then I get to walk and you'll leave my family alone?" Jesse questioned on the skeptical side of things._

 _"I believe I said that," the man growled. "Do the job and everyone gets to walk away from this happy and whole."_

 _"Okay, I'll do it," Jesse reluctantly agreed._

 _"Great and don't forget to get me the stack of cash he owes me." Jesse nodded, walking off trying to figure out how he was going to do this. "Oh and Jesse make sure Wade is with you, someone needs to take the fall for this and frankly I don't care which one of you it is, just know that whoever gets caught and they say a damn word about any of this, that promise I made clear earlier with the doctor and the little girl will happen, we clear?"_

 _"Clear as day," Jesse gritted out, walking out of the old building. He slumped against his car pulling his phone out to call his brother. Could he really sell his brother out like that?_

"You guys didn't say anything because it would be Zoe and Evie in danger?" George asked him. Jesse nodded his head.

"I know where she stands when it comes to me and it's my fault for that, can't blame her for it, I hate me on certain days. I thought it would be better if Wade stayed in here; it was the only way I knew that they would be out of danger but after having months to think about it and Wade telling me that he needed to be out there to keep his family safe, I've finally listened and I see that in order to make sure that they're safe is for Wade to be out there where he can keep an eye on them at all times," Jesse sighed.

"Makes sense," George said, writing things down. "You need you to tell me what happened that night, Jesse, nothing you gave me is going to make anyone see that Wade did no wrong, he was in the house with you."

"I know and he wasn't supposed to be in the house," Jesse growled.

 _"It's safer if you don't know the details," Jesse told him, pulling up a long dirt driveway. "There's something I need to do, just stay put and drive if something goes wrong, don't follow me in and don't come after me," Jesse warned._

 _"For fuck's sake, Jesse, tell me something here, it sounds like you're about ready to waltz into a house and kill someone," Wade shouted frustrated. "Are you?" Wade asked after Jesse said nothing, slowing the car down in front of a brick house._

 _"You don't need to know what's going to happen when I step out of this car, just get ready to run," Jesse told him, making his exit from the car before Wade had a chance to ask another question._

 _Jesse quickly walked across the front lawn, his eyes darting in every direction to look for anyone or camera that was watching his every move, but he saw nothing. He quickly picked the lock on the side door, slipping into the house. He quickly disabled the alarm with the code that he had been given. He searched room by room looking for where the safe would be at. He walked into the den, seeing the man that owed the money. "Shit," Jesse cursed, when the man didn't move, he felt for a heart beat but nothing was there. He quickly moved around the man looking for a clue that the safe was somewhere in the room with him._

 _"You people never learn, you won't find the money, Judson already has it, you're here to be set up." The voice had Jesse stopping and turning around to see who was talking to him._

 _"You're lying, because he told me to kill you," Jesse growled out._

 _"It seems we're both lying then," he laughed moving away from the door. "I would warn you, but I've got a plane to catch. Have a nice life in prison," he smirked leaving the room._

 _Shaking his head, Jesse followed after him, pulling his gun up and squeezing the trigger. "I'm not lying," Jesse retorted, stepping over the man lying on the floor blood oozing out of his leg. "If you want to live I suggest you put some pressure on that," Jesse warned him, disappearing into the last room he had to look for the money. He couldn't bring himself to actually kill the guy, just like he couldn't set his brother up; this was up to him and him alone._

 _Hearing a noise Jesse walked back to the entry way to see his brother standing next to the small puddle of blood the guy he just shot no longer there. He walked up grabbing his brother's arm to get him out of there before the police did show up. He wasn't expecting Wade to wail into his face._

 _"I thought I told you to stay in the car," Jesse yelled, shoving Wade slightly, his fingers ghosting over the spot on his jaw Wade had hit._

 _"I thought you were dead, asshole," Wade yelled back, glaring at his brother._

 _Jesse didn't say anything just swung at his brother, leaving his own mark on his brother's flesh from his fist. "We can finish this damn fight later, but we best be going, before the cops show up," Jesse hissed, turning around and storming outside, stopping dead in his tracks to see that they were surrounded and his brother was going to jail too. "What the..." he could hear Wade was in the process of asking when he felt his brother ran into his back, taking a look around Jesse. "Fuck," Wade cursed loud enough to be heard by everyone._

"That's what happened, Wade had no idea what was going on or what even happened. He was just there because I forced him to come along," Jesse told him. "Can you get Wade out of here?" Jesse questioned.

"Now that I have all the right information, I can make something happen, but I have to talk to Wade and make sure that his story matches your story, before anything can happen. Why now? I need to know the guy that ordered this hit, what's his last name?"

"I told you why, just get him out of here and then I'll tell you who I was working for, you can't get him out I'm not giving anyone up because I can't put Zoe and Evie in danger like that," Jesse told him, getting up.

"Got it," George said, getting up himself, heading the opposite way that Jesse was. He had to make another stop in the infirmary to have a chat with Wade and fill Zoe in on a few things before going back to his office and making this into a case to get Wade out of prison. For the sake of everyone he really hoped that he could pull this thing off.

"How'd it go?" Zoe questioned, seeing George walk into the infirmary.

"Let me have a chat with Wade and I'll fill you in the best I can," he told her. Zoe nodded letting him go to Wade. She stayed back far enough that she couldn't hear what they were saying but could see that whatever George was saying that Wade was relived and panicked. She let them talk and finished up with what she was doing before George showed up.

She was done before George and Wade were done talking and she kept her eyes on the two of them. "So?" She questioned as George got closer to her.

"Just a matter of days and he should be going home, depends on how long things are going to take and if they let him out, but with the evidence given, I can make a solid case to get Wade out of here for good," George informed her. Zoe was able to breathe easier hearing that. "I'll get the papers drawn up as quickly as I can and they'll be filed tonight before the court house closes."

"Thank you for doing this, George," she told him, getting up.

"No thanks required, it's my job, Zo," he smiled walking out to be lead away once again. Zoe turned her attention to her boyfriend going to sit over by him.

"Jesse took the fall, admitted to George everything that happened and what went down, with him doing that, George thinks he has a good case to get me out of this hell," he told her honestly.

"I don't understand why he'd stab you to keep you from stopping that," Zoe commented.

"I thought before that whatever he was doing was to keep me from stopping him, but it's more than that, Zoe, he's sending a message to those that work for the guy Jesse worked for. It had to be me, it was the only way it would work out in favor of Jesse not getting killed and…" he trailed off not sure he wanted to keep going. He didn't want to worry her, but she was going to know something was up when Bill drove by their place a few extra times during the day and why someone else was keeping guard during the night.

"What are you not telling me?" She questioned, starting to work herself up in a panic.

"He had orders and if he failed to listen then they were coming after his family, he's keeping us safe, you may hate him for what he's done but he has always loved you, him getting out of this place was because he didn't want to be stuck behind bars for the rest of his life or close to it but to make sure you and Evie were going to be okay because he couldn't deal with being at fault if something happened to any of us," he told her.

"I don't like it but it makes sense," Zoe told him. "Are we in danger, now?" She asked him, her mind racing on trying to find a different place to stay until Wade was out.

"You shouldn't be, but George is going to make sure of that for me. Your safety and Evie's safety that's all I care about," he informed her. Zoe nodded, letting her head fall against his chest, her eyes looking up at him.

"Right this second I care about your safety and well-being, how are you feeling? Any pain?" She asked him, needing time to let the new information sink in. Wade shook his head, letting his fingers dive into her soft brown locks.

"With you here, I'm good," he told her getting a smile to come out on her beautiful face.


	10. Chapter 10

She was just finishing up for the day, ready to go home and spend some much needed time with Evie. Wade was the only prisoner that would be staying in the infirmary for the night and the next multiple nights if nothing happened but that was very unlikely and she knew by morning Wade would be joined by someone, there was still plenty of time today before it was lights out for the prisoners.

"Hey," she smiled, sitting on the bed next to him, her fingers combing through his hair. "How are you feeling? Can I get you anything?" She asked softly.

"Like I've been cut open, it hurts like hell and it's starting to itch, Doc," he winched out, reaching up to cup her face. She encased his fingers with her own, holding their hands against her check.

"Don't scratch and I can't get you much as you've already been given things not even an hour ago and they should be kicking in shortly, but I can get you some Tylenol, if you want it maybe even a little more morphine wouldn't hurt," she suggested.

"I'll be fine in a minute or two when the drugs decide to kick in," he rasped out, laying his head back on the pillow, his eyes slowly closing. "Tell Evie that I love her."

"She knows you do Wade, I tell her that every night. And she loves you so very much," Zoe responded, bending down, to place a small kiss on his forehead. "I love you Wade," she whispered moving to rest her forehead against his.

"I love you Zoe," he replied barely above a whisper.

She placed one final kiss to his forehead, seeing that he was sleeping she got up, she quickly took one look at his stitches to see how they were coming along and to her they looked to be good, putting the bandage in place, she moved the thin blanket up around him. She gave his fingers a tiny squeeze, feeling his fingers wrap around hers before letting go.

She was torn on what to do, part of her wanted to stay there with Wade to watch over him during the night to make sure that nothing was going to happen to him, but the other part of her wanted to go home to her daughter and curl up with her and sleep the night away.

It wasn't until she parked her car for the night that she remembered that her daughter wasn't going to be home, that she was spending the night with her Grandpa Harley so that heavy heart of not staying with Wade pulled even more on her. She had been so busy with Wade getting stabbed that she totally forgot that her daughter wasn't going to be home and the things she had planned to do with Evie were now out the window. With a sigh, she turned the key to start her car and head towards her daughter.

"She's already asleep for the night," Harley informed his daughter, pulling her in for a hug. Zoe nodded against his shoulder, a few tears sliding down her face. "Can I get you anything?" He asked. Zoe shook her head, pulling away from her father.

"I'm just going to go see Evie," she told her dad, walking upstairs going to her old room that she had there. She smiled slightly seeing her little girl, curled up in the middle of the bed. She slipped her shoes off, walking over to the bed to lay down with her daughter. She brought her little girl into her arms and let her eyes close shut. She was only going to stay like that for a few minutes, but the longer she laid there the harder it was to get up so she let herself fall asleep the sun setting in the sky behind them, realizing just how much the events of the day had taken out of her, muttering _'mommy and daddy love you baby girl,'_ she let sleep fully take over.

Zoe had gone into work a few minutes early, desperately needing to check on Wade. She still hadn't heard any word on if Wade would be cleared or not. She had a feeling that he wouldn't be cleared and he'd be forced to stay the last part of his sentence behind bars. He was at the scene of the crime and they couldn't prove that what Jesse admitted to was true. The prison was quiet as she walked the halls heading to the infirmary bay, swiping her card, she was able to enter, she placed her things on her chair in her office and walked to where Wade was at. Walking up to him she could see that he was sleeping, but something seemed off. She turned to the overnight nurse to see how Wade had been during the night and she had been informed that he had woke up a few different times throughout the night, the last time being just 45 minutes ago.

When she got up to him she could see the thin layer of sweat that covered his body. She started to panic, feeling his forehead to feel his skin burn against hers. She didn't need to remove the bandage on his side to know that it was the cause of this, but she did however know that she had to remove the bandage to clean it up the best she could, she knew that he needed to be taken to the hospital, because as she moved around him he never stirred once, she talked to him as she worked and he never responded.

Between calling up to Lavon's office and doing what she could in a fuzzy haze, between Lavon's words and the scene in front of her making sure that he had a heartbeat, barley but it was there, she tried to remain focused on Wade but it was futile to do as such. It had only taken a matter of seconds for paramedics to be in the room with her loading Wade's body onto a stretcher to take him out. It was the first time she was thankful that Lavon liked to be ready for situations like this.

"Why don't you go with, Dr. Hart," Lavon told her, remaining as professional as he could with as many people that were around them. He knew that she wouldn't be able to do her job no matter how much she tired to protest him on it, but luckily it wasn't a fight with Zoe he had to worry about, because they weren't letting Zoe in the ambulance with Wade. "You can ride with me," he assured the doctor, leading her out to her car.

The ride to the hospital behind the ambulance wasn't any better for her. She wanted to hold him, as silly as it sounded, she really didn't know what she would do without him in her life. He had always been a constant in her life since they were young, didn't matter if they were fighting or not, he was an important staple in her life and in Evie's life she couldn't lose him, not now.

She found herself pacing around the waiting room as they worked on Wade, they wouldn't let her be the doctor with her being so close to him and she was okay with that. She refused to listen to Lavon as he sat by telling her she needed to relax and sit down, she'd only shake her head and pivot on her foot to head back in the opposite direction, her mind going a mile a minute where she couldn't think straight.

"You're not going to cuff him to his bed are you?" She asked, stopping in the middle of the waiting room, they were the only two in the little room, after the doctor had left saying that Wade had gotten an infection in his blood system from the rusty skive that Jesse had used on him. Wade was going to be okay and that they'd know more once he woke up from the coma he was in. The doctors didn't think he'd be under for long that it was going to be a matter of days.

"I have procedures to keep and he's still an inmate, Zoe," Lavon told her.

"I get it," she laughed her nerves shot. "But it's not like he can get up and ran away, he's in a coma and there's going to be guards standing guard so I know he can't escape and the windows don't open, he's going to be stuck here whether he's cuffed to the bed or not, so I'm begging you to keep the cuffs off of him," she begged and pleaded with the warden.

"I don't like it and it's you that will have to pay for it if he even attempts to make a break for it," he sighed. He didn't like it but she made very valid points, he wouldn't be able to escape and he wasn't a high risk inmate and the least he could is make sure that Wade was comfortable as he could be considering.

"Thank you," Zoe told him, picking her things up from the chair she had dropped them in, when she entered the waiting room. "You really don't have to stay; you do have a whole prison to run."

"Let me walk you to his hospital room and I'll be staying until a guard shows up to take his post, because that's my job," he informed Zoe. She nodded her head and walked from the room, following the hallway to where Wade would be waiting for her whether he knew it or not. She gave Lavon a small smile and slipped into Wade's room.

The tears she had been holding back came spilling out when she saw Wade laying on the hospital bed nearly lifeless, her sobs mixing in with the beeping of the machines, his chest raising and falling telling her that he was still with her. She pulled a chair as close to the bed as she could get it. Sitting down in the chair, she reached out for his hand, both of her hands wrapping around his, her lips pressing a soft kiss to his knuckles, as her tears freely flowed down her cheeks. Talking to him, she knew it would help, but she couldn't get any words to come out. "Oh, Wade," she sobbed.


	11. Chapter 11

"Where am I?" Wade asked groggily, his throat dry and itchy, looking around the white hospital room in his hazy state. The beeping noise that filled his eardrums was new to him, the sterile smell hitting his nose for the first time had panic sitting firmly in his gut.

"In the hospital," Zoe filled him in, quickly filling a cup with water, getting him to take a drink through the straw, her hand squeezing his gently. "You scared me, you uh went into a coma, the stab wound did more damage than I had previously thought and it got infected on the inside and your body couldn't physically clear up the infection, so it shut down," she filled him in sitting on the bed next to him. "I was able to convince Warden Hayes that you wouldn't get up and run away considering the shape you're in so he left the cuffs off but you can't try anything Wade," she warned him, leaving out the part that if he did escape it was going to be on her. "There are two guards outside the door keeping watch."

"I won't," he promised her, trying to escape the hospital wasn't something that had crossed his mind yet, but he wouldn't do it because he knew who was waiting on him. "How long was I out for?" He asked, cringing slightly when he tried to sit up, horrible pain shooting through his side.

"A week and half," she informed him. "I should get your doctor," she said, getting up. "They wouldn't let me," she filled him in seeing the questioning look in his eyes. He nodded, closing his eyes, feeling his girlfriend's fingers slip from his hand. He couldn't even find it himself to be pissed at his brother for doing what he had done.

"He'll be in shortly," Zoe told him, walking back over to his side, taking his hand in hers. She was still scared of something going wrong and losing him forever, she couldn't deal with that and she tried her hardest to keep from thinking about it, because he was going to be fine, she had to keep believing that.

"Glad you could join us Mr. Kinsella," Dr. Peters announced walking into the room. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," he told the doctor, letting Zoe's hand fall away to let the doctor look him over. "There's a slight pain when I move but it's bearable," he added on.

"Let's hope the morphine doesn't wear off then," the doctor replied with a small laugh, shining a light on Wade's eyes. "Follow the light, please."

Zoe stood back watching as the doctor looked Wade over, the urge to say things on the tip of her tongue. But she remained quiet as the doctor checked Wade over, asking him questions that ranged from his injury to the current date, which Wade had a bit of trouble with since he wasn't certain of the date when they had brought him in unconscious, but he knew enough current events that he wasn't diagnosed with amnesia.

What felt like a million questions later to Wade and an exam to make sure he was healing properly; he was finally left alone with Zoe. "Does Evie know?" He found himself asking.

"She knows you're hurt and here in the hospital but I haven't brought her by to see you, she wants too but I couldn't bare for her to see you so lifeless," she stated, giving him her full attention. "If you want to see her, I can make it happen," she let him know, walking over to set next to him on the bed.

"I'd like that and I'm sure she would too. I know keeping her away from the truth when I was locked up was necessary and when I go back we can keep it that way but what's the harm in her coming here?" He questioned. He sighed realizing that it might get tricky on why he didn't come home from the hospital but that was something he didn't want to worry about, he missed his little girl and this was going to be the only chance he would be given to see her for quite a while because frankly he had no clue what was going to happen to him when he was discharged.

"She really would, she's been a sulking mess when you never called her during the last week and a half while you were under. And the rest, we will figure that all out when the time comes," she assured him.

"You think this is the right thing to do?" He questioned, tracing patterns on Zoe's knee.

"Frankly I have no idea what to do in a situation like this and I don't know anyone that has been in a predicament like this one, but if we are okay with it then it has to be the right thing to do, Wade," she told him.

"Okay," he agreed, letting a smile cross his lips. Zoe quickly kissed him, going to stand up only for Wade to pull her back down to him, kissing her with love and urgency, not having a care if anyone happened to walk through the door.

* * *

"What are you going to say to her when daddy doesn't come home?" Lemon asked in a hiss. "Why can't you think about your daughter this once? Why is that so damn hard?"

"I am thinking about my daughter, Lemon. I'm the one that had to listen to hear cry herself to sleep because she wants her daddy. And the thing is Lemon she's my daughter and I get to decided on how I want to raise her and you don't get a say, I'm her mother and you are just Aunt Lemon," she seethed at her friend, exhausted of hearing how Lemon thought she should raise her own daughter. "I'll worry about what to say to Evie when I know for sure what's going to happen. But I suggest if you want to be the boss and tell other people how to raise their kids, that you become a mom first," Zoe finished, ready to go upstairs and get her little girl.

"That's just wonderful, Zoe," Lemon snapped, stalking to the front door. "I'm trying to help you out in the long run, but forget it Zoe since you obviously know what's best for Evie."

"Ya know, Lemon, I do know what's best for my family. I would really appreciate if you didn't stick your two cents in every time I say I'm going to do something. I will raise my daughter the way I want to and when Wade comes home it'll be how we do things together, got it?" Zoe asked in a very demanding tone.

"Yeah I believe so, Zoe," Lemon stated, storming out of the house.

Zoe sighed, closing her eyes and counted to ten before going upstairs and getting Evie. She hated that she had exploded in sorts at Lemon but she honestly couldn't take it any longer, she valued her friends opinions, asked for advice from time to time but she hated when Lemon would ask her a question about her parenting style, it made her second guess herself and make her think that she was a failure at being a mother.

"We go see Daddy, now?" Evie asked, walking out of her room, to see her mom on the stairs.

"If you're ready we can go," Zoe told her. There was no better feeling than seeing the mega watt smile on her daughter's face.

"Ready," Evie shouted, running past her mom. Zoe laughed lightly at the eagerness the little girl had following behind her daughter. It was something that Zoe had missed seeing in her little girl and for the time being it was good to have her daughter back all the way. Evie couldn't keep quiet on the ride to the hospital, asking question after question and going on about all the things that she was going to share with her daddy.

When they got to his hospital room George was there going over a few things with Wade. That hadn't fazed Evie any when she stormed into the room happy to see her daddy. She carefully crawled onto the bed, snuggling into Wade's good side, suddenly all out of words as she laid there with her daddy.

Zoe seeing that her daughter and boyfriend were content she stepped outside to see what George had to say. Ever since Wade had been taken away and placed behind bars she had always thought the worst when it came to him, she didn't mean for it to happen but it was instinct for her do so. Even before George had said a word to her, she had a feeling that it was going to be bad, that he was going to be tossed back into his cell before he was even discharged from the hospital.

"I'm working as fast as I can on his case to get him out of prison and we're close, Zoe. If he goes back before I can get him out, he will be placed in a protected cell where no one can get to him. I've done everything I can to this point and now it's a waiting game but I promise I'm not going to stop until Wade is free. Both of their statements are the same so I don't see a problem, but it is the law we're dealing with," George filled her in. Zoe nodded her head, relieved that the news was better than she had thought it was going to be.

"Thank you for everything, George," Zoe told him with a small smile. "If you can get him out of prison I don't know how I'm going to repay you," she told him softly.

"No need to repay me for anything, I told you that I would do anything I could to help you out because I wanted to help Wade. You have enough to worry about, without adding the worry of repaying anything to me."

"I have to pay you something George," she pleaded with him.

"Then you go in there and have fun as a family, while I go home and do damage control with Lemon," he smirked.

"I'm not all that sorry about what I said to her, I'm sorry that I snapped at her, but I'm so sick of her thinking she knows what I needed to do for my daughter. I am capable of being a mother and she makes me feel like I'm horrible at doing what's right for Evie," Zoe sighed, walking back to the door. "And I am sorry that you have to deal with her now."

"I'm sure you are," he chuckled. "Only you and Wade know what's right for Evie and Lemon can be a bit opinionated. But I agree that she should be here to see Wade, they both need it. She's a smart girl," George told her walking off.

Zoe smiled happy to hear that someone else thought they were doing the right thing by letting Evie come in and see Wade. Maybe if he did have to go back to prison once they discharged him from the hospital that it would be better if they told Evie the truth and no longer lied to her about things. She walked over to the bed to see that both father and daughter were asleep. She sat down in the chair, her eyes staying on the two most important people in her life.


	12. Chapter 12

Wade lay with his little girl in his arms, more than content to lie in the bed and hold her close after months where he went without seeing her, he had missed her but he didn't realize just how much until she was in his arms snuggled up against him tightly. From as quiet as she was being he saw just how much she had missed him and what the effect of him being locked was doing to her as well, Zoe had told him how Evie was dealing with him not being around, but he didn't think it was this bad, how wrong he was. It was something he wasn't ever going to forgive himself for.

"Are you okay, Daddy?" Evie asked softly, her head resting peacefully against his chest. At his daughter's question, his free hand lightly grazed over his healing wound with the help of stitches.

"I'm going to be fine, sweetie," he assured her, running a hand through her hair. "Daddy is going to be just fine." The day she was born was the day he started to learn that there was no need to worry them over anything that they didn't need to be worried over. He had been told that he was going to be okay and he hoped that it would heal without any further problems, so that's what he was going to believe.

"Mommy says no kitten," Evie sighed changing the topic so easily. "Can I get one, pwease Daddy?" She pouted, looking up him, her bottom lips sticking out.

Wade smiled, he had a hard time telling his daughter no, but he had done it, countless times. He wanted his daughter to know what yes and no meant and not turn out to be a spoiled brat or like Lemon. "I agree with Mommy on this one. Why don't we see if Mommy will let you have a fish and if you can take care of the fish then maybe we'll talk about getting you a kitten," he suggested. He wanted to feel bad about not letting her get a kitten, but he wanted to surprise her and this was a lesson for her.

"Okay," Evie said with a small yawn. "I've missed you, Daddy. Did you get my pictures, all of them?"

"I got them all and I'm proud of you, your pictures were very beautiful," he praised his little girl. "Daddy missed you too," he told her, kissing the top of her head. He pulled her closer, not ready to let her go just yet. "What kind of kitten do you want, when you can get one?" He asked softly.

"Whatever, one that needs some love," she replied with a shrug. "Can you tell me a story, Daddy?" She asked.

"Which one?" He asked with a smile, missing everything when it came to his little girl, but it had to be story time that he missed the most.

"The one where you knew you loved mommy," she suggested softly. Wade smiled ready to tell her the story.

* * *

 _"Who were you talking too?" Wade asked when Zoe joined him on top of Nate's hardware._

 _"No one," Zoe replied, stealing his drink and taking a long pull of it. Wade rose an eyebrow, when he got the bottle back only for it to be empty. He said nothing knowing that if he waited long enough she'd tell him. "It was no one because I'd never move back to the city for any kind of job, for any reason," she stated, laying back to look up at the sky, watching a few clouds slowly move in the blue sky above her. "This is home," she softly sighed, a small smile gracing her soft lips._

 _"I wouldn't let you go any how," Wade smirked, laying back, moving just enough to rest his head on her stomach. He smiled feeling her fingernails lightly scratch his scalp._

 _"Why's that?" She teased with a smile, enjoying the feel of his soft hair on her fingertips._

 _"You know why," he moaned out, relaxing under her touch._

 _"I really don't, Wade. We've been dating for some time now, but other than that I don't know," she told him. She loved him, she had never denied the love she felt for him, she just hasn't said anything to Wade because she didn't know how he felt._

 _"Because Zoe, I love you, I'm in love with you. Totally head over butt in love with you," he stated, looking at her, the love he felt for her bright in his green eyes._

 _"I do have a good butt," she smirked, tugging on a handful of his hair, getting him to growl._

 _"I can't deny that," he said, licking his lips. Zoe laughed, tugging his hair a little harder._

 _"For the record I've fallen in love with you myself," she smiled. "I love you, Wade Kinsella," she giggled with joy._

"How long have I been out for?" He asked quietly not wanting to disturb his little girl.

* * *

"Half hour," Zoe replied, flicking the TV off. "Need anything?" She questioned, ready to get up and get whatever he needed.

Wade shook his head; he had everything he needed in the room with him. The hospital food wasn't great but it was brought to him and he didn't dare ask Zoe to sneak him in a juicy burger, she was after all a doctor and she would deny him something like that while he was in the hospital. But he wasn't hungry or thirsty for that matter, all he needed right now was the love that was in the room with him. He was more than content to be holding his baby girl.

"She asked me if she could have a kitten," Wade told her. Zoe smiled, not surprised that Evie would do such a thing. Most kids if they couldn't get something from one parent they would ask the other one and Evie was no different, she knew how to suck up to her parents to get most things she wanted.

"What did you tell her?" Zoe asked, moving the chair closer so she could reach Wade's hand, her eyes settling on her still sleeping daughter.

"That I agreed with you and that she needs to wait," Wade responded. "Though I told her maybe she could get a fish until she's allowed to get a kitten," he commented.

"She's okay with a fish?" Zoe questioned, moving her eyes to look at her boyfriend.

"Seems to be okay with it," he replied. "I am sorry for everything, Zo. If I had known what he had planned that night, I wouldn't have went with him," he sighed, squeezing her hand. "You have to know that after this, when I'm home, it's you and Evie first the way it should have been, I promise you that," he promised her.

"I want to believe you and have faith that you mean it this time, I can see that you do, but you've told me that before that it would just one more time to help Jesse out and that one time turned into a dozen more times before you got caught. I can trust you with everything else in life, but when it comes to Jesse, it's not that easy to trust that you'll do the right thing by the family you have here in this room," she told him.

"I know and I'm not proud of that," he told her. "But I do mean it this time and the only way for me to prove that to you and Evie is by showing it each and every day and I'm going to do just that, Zo," he said, bringing her hand up to place a kiss to the back of her hand.

"Just don't mess up, Wade. I can't deal with this anymore, I love you and Evie loves you and we need you at home with us," she told him with a soft sigh. They were supposed to be raising their daughter together, she hadn't signed up to be a single parent and he had promised her that she wouldn't ever have to raise Evie alone.

"I won't, I promise you." She smiled hearing his words, leaning forward to press her lips against his. "Hey Zoe," he said, getting her attention once more, not that her attention was anywhere else. "What do you say about us getting married once I'm out of this situation?" He asked her. Marrying Zoe had been on his mind since before his recent trouble with Jesse started and he found himself in prison. They had been together for years, they had a daughter together and they had put being parents first but even when he was fighting with Zoe there just wasn't anyone else out there he would rather be with than Zoe.

"I've been waiting a long time for you to ask me that, not in the way you did, but it has been something that I've wanted for a while now and I think that maybe you should ask me again once we got this whole mess cleared up. I'm not going anywhere because I love you and want to be with you, Wade," she told him, fighting back the tears that wanted to escape, she had never pictured Wade asking her to marry him quite like this and as much as it was killing her to say yes to his question of a proposal, she couldn't bring herself to say yes because something about the situation just didn't feel right to her. "We need to focus on you getting better and getting out of this mess before we ever start thinking about a wedding."

"So that's a yes," Wade smirked. He was a bit crushed when he had heard her answer, but through all of her rambling he had got that she was willing to marry him and that excited him.

"It's a lets discuss this matter further when you're at home," she replied with a smile.

Wade didn't get a chance to say anything back because Evie was starting to stir in his arms. He watched as she woke up rubbing the remaining sleep from her eyes. "Daddy says I can get a fish," she said through a yawn, sitting up some to look over at her mom.

"He told me as much and I think that it's a great idea and we'll stop on the way home and get one for you, how does that sound?" Zoe questioned her daughter.

"Good," Evie smiled. "Can I come back tomorrow?" Evie asked looking between her mom and dad.

"You best," Wade replied with a smile. "Why don't you bring some games and coloring books so that way we're not sleeping the whole time? I don't want you to be any trouble for your mommy at bed time because you slept the day away, okay?"

Evie nodded her head, knowing the perfect game to bring in to play with her dad. She really didn't want to leave the hospital room, wanting to spend the night with him but she had already been told that she couldn't do that and she didn't think it was fair.


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm sorry for the small wait with this chapter, it took me a minute to figure it out, however I do have some of the next chapter worked out and I'm going to get on that as soon as I can. I hope to get a new chapter up ASAP for all of you, but I make no promises as it's going to be harder to get time to write now, but I do promise that I'll try to get both stories I have going updated once a week, that is the goal. I'll try my hardest to get updates to you all as fast as I can.**

 **Thank you to everyone that has taken an interest in this story and for the reviews. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Daddy, Daddy," Evie repeated quickly walking into his hospital room, climbing on the bed to sit next to him. She had been waiting to tell her daddy her news since she had walked out of the pet store the following day and she couldn't keep it in any longer, she just had to tell him. "Guess what, Daddy?" She questioned with a smile that overtook her face.

"Hmm, that you love me?" He questioned with a smile, watching as his daughter's excitement had her nearly ready to bounce off the bed.

"No silly," she giggled shaking her head. "You knew that!" She exclaimed, tossing her hands in the air. "No fishy, they were boring," she said shaking her head.

"You didn't get a fish?" Wade questioned. This was something he already knew. Zoe had called his room when Evie was looking at a certain little critter instead of the fish and he really didn't mind she hadn't picked a fish out. "You didn't get a puppy did you?" He asked making his daughter roll her eyes at him.

"Nooo," she said with a huff, she thought puppies were cute but she wanted a kitty more than she did a puppy. "Mommy let me get a hamster with a pink cage," she smiled brightly.

"That's great, sweetie," Wade smiled, he was happy that she had found a little critter to take over being her friend until he was able to actually get the kitten she really wanted. He felt less guilty about things when she was so happy over her new little pet. "What did you name him?"

"She's a girl named Cinder," she informed her father. "Mommy let me put her in my room!" She beamed.

"She's white with two little charcoal dots on her little fluffy head," Zoe informed him, from her spot in the chair. She really enjoyed watching her boyfriend and daughter interacting with each other and she couldn't wait for this nightmare to be over with. "I hope you don't mind but I figured that you would want to spend the day with her instead of her going elsewhere, but I've been called into work at the prison today and I wouldn't do it if I didn't have to go, but they're short handed today and it'll only be for a few hours," she confessed to her boyfriend.

"We'll be fine and by the looks of things she brought enough for a small party," Wade joked seeing the bag that had been placed on the floor. "Go and do your thing, I understand that work calls and you can't keep putting it off, I don't want you to lose your job because of me," he told her.

Zoe smiled giving her daughter a kiss first. "You be good for Daddy and don't leave this room unless you're with someone, okay?" She asked her daughter. Evie nodded her head. "I love you, sweetie."

"Love you, Mommy," Evie smiled, kissing her mom's cheek.

"I love you and try to take it easy with Evie today, got it?" She asked her boyfriend with a stern look.

"I got it, Zo," he replied with a smirk. "I love you," he told her, gently pulling her down to kiss her. "Check on Jesse for me?" He questioned in a whisper so Evie wouldn't hear and get worried about her Uncle Jesse.

"I'll certainly try," she informed her boyfriend. "I'll be back as soon as I can be," she told them both, grabbing her purse and walking to the door, with a glance behind her at the door she smiled watching as father and daughter were once again in their own little world.

"When are you coming home?" Evie asked, looking up from the coloring book she had lying on her dad's stomach as she lightly colored trying her hardest not to push too hard and hurt him.

"I don't know sweetie," Wade replied with a sigh. He really wanted to go home now to be with his family, he was tired of missing out on things when it came to them. But he wasn't even sure when they were going to be releasing him from the hospital. "Hopefully soon," he stated. "What are you coloring?" He asked then, ready to get the topic changed onto a happier one. He didn't like seeing his little girl looking so sad when there wasn't anything that he could do about it. Instead of saying what it was she was coloring she held the coloring book up for her dad to see what it was she was coloring. "Those are some bright pink and blue birds," he replied with a smile, marveling at how good she was doing in coloring inside of the lines.

* * *

"Thanks for coming in, I didn't have anyone else to call and I really wouldn't have called you if I didn't have too," Lavon said in a rush, waiting for Zoe to get there as he walked with her to the infirmary. "But you were needed," he said making her confused not that she focused on that part of what he had told her.

"It's not a problem really," she told her temporary boss. "As weird as it may sound I do enjoy working here and I'm going to miss the place once my time is up," she smiled at him.

"I appreciate that I do," Lavon told her with half a grin. "But you might hate it in a minute," he sighed getting her to stop in front of the infirmary. She looked at him scared to know what it was he was going to tell her. It could really be array of things and she didn't know which one it could be. "I don't know how you feel about a certain inmate but he's waiting on you, he wouldn't let anyone else check him over, we tried but we had to give up so I had to break down and call you in," Lavon confessed.

"It's okay," Zoe nodded giving him a small smile. "Whether I hate him or overjoyed to see him, it doesn't matter because it's my job and all feelings need to be kept out of it," she informed the warden, walking into the infirmary. This was only going to make her job easier in getting alone with Jesse to see how he was holding up. She really didn't know how to feel when it came to Jesse. She wanted to hate him and she wanted to feel sorry for him. Mad at him for doing something so stupid in getting her boyfriend not only locked up but seriously hurt on top of it all, she felt pity for him that he hadn't found that closure after dealing with everything that he had went through as a kid when his mother was taken away from him and when his father had pretty much abandoned him to drink his pain away. Many emotions swirled in her head when it came to Jesse and it was hard to say which one was going to come out when she came face to face with him.

"How is he?" Jesse asked once Zoe was standing next to him.

"He's going to be fine," she replied softly. She had taken a few moments to herself when she placed her purse in her office. "He's more worried about you," she told him, looking around to make sure that one of the few nurses around wasn't listening in to what they were talking about.

"I'm going to be fine," he replied. "I've been so damn selfish for so long that I forgot how to be the brother he needs and somewhere while being locked up I was reminded that it was job to keep him from ever coming here and I am sorry about everything," he told her honestly.

"Let's just worry about you, Jesse," she told him, not able to process what the man before her was telling her. She believed him, believed that he had gotten lost at some point and didn't know what way it was he should be heading and when he wanted help in finding the right direction to go he ended up going the wrong way taking his brother with him, part of her couldn't stay mad at him for that, but the other part of her was screaming at her to not believe him because he hasn't been trustworthy in years and he really did need to do more to prove himself than just helping get Wade out of prison if things with Wade went that way.

It really didn't take very long for her to clean up what little cuts he had on his hands, but she made sure to take her time, letting him have a few extra minutes with someone than being sent back to his isolation cell. She did an exam making sure nothing else was going on with him. She had to make sure that Jesse was going to be okay and safe to go back to his cell, but she had a feeling in her gut that he wasn't here to be looked over or to get his bruised up hands cleaned up and wrapped up. No, he wanted to know how his brother was doing.

"Can you make sure that he knows that I'm sorry about it all?" Jesse asked, slowly sliding off the bed he was sitting on.

"I'll make sure, but you have to promise that you're going to be careful and not do anymore stupid little stunts that will kill you, Jesse. He would never be able to stop feeling guilty if something like that happened to you while you're in here because we both know that he'll blame himself for such an act," Zoe warned him.

"I'll do my best on staying out of trouble," he promised her. He wanted to better himself, he really didn't think that he was ever going to have the chance of getting out of prison after confessing to what he had done, but that didn't mean he couldn't change who he was for the better.


	14. Chapter 14

"Where's our little girl?" Zoe questioned walking into the hospital room a few hours later, to see her boyfriend sitting up in the bed watching a kid show. She hadn't been able to find Lavon when she was leaving the prison and what she had to talk to him about could wait until a later date.

"She ran away with the traveling circus that came through," Wade replied with a very serious look on his face. "As her father who am I to ruin her dreams?" He questioned, holding out a hand for her to take.

"A loving father is who," she retorted, letting him pull her down next to him on the bed. "But really where is she?" She asked, playing with his fingers on the hand that rested in her lap.

"She's at the gift shop with the warden," Wade informed his girlfriend. "He stopped in to make sure that I haven't made an escape and let us in on the fact he came to see his little boy."

"I didn't know he had a son, what happened?" She quickly asked feeling worried about the man that she worked for that had easily become a good friend to her.

"Something's wrong with his heart, he's waiting on getting a transplant done, but you know how that goes," Wade sighed, squeezing her hand lightly.

Zoe nodded, knowing just how that went for a person no matter the age. "Do they have a donor?" She asked. There wasn't much she could do to help Lavon out but she felt she had to do something, anything with how much he was helping her out when it came to Wade. There had to be some little thing she could do.

"No we don't, thought we might, but it fell through," Lavon stated from behind. Zoe turned enough to give him a sympathetic smile. She was determined to help him out any way she could. Her smile turned to a frown, a surge of panic ripping through her when she noticed that her daughter wasn't with the warden. "She's with my wife, Evie and Austin are playing a little game, I do promise to bring her back to you once my little man needs to rest," he said noticing the panic that had arisen from within Zoe. "I should be getting back."

"Thanks and if you need anything regarding you son, let me know and I'll see what I can do for you," Zoe told him. Lavon nodded, heading out. He didn't want to stay gone any longer than he had too, but he wanted to inform Zoe and Wade what was going on with their daughter.

"Did you see Jesse?" Wade asked bringing his girlfriend's attention back to him. He could see that he was going to lose her if he didn't do something and with Evie not there it was the perfect moment to ask about his brother.

Zoe nodded. "He's the reason I had to go in, he wouldn't see any one else, nothing was wrong, a few cuts on his hands, he said sorry and wanted to know how you were doing," she filled him in.

"I know this is his whole mess, but I do feel sorry for him," Wade sighed, closing his eyes. "He's my brother and I feel like I should've done more to keep him from going down the path he had gone down."

"There's nothing you could've done, Wade," Zoe told him. "He's lost and he's trying to find his way from everything that happened to him. Once it first happened he wasn't able to focus on the pain because he was taking care of you, but once you didn't need him anymore he had the time to actually think about the pain he felt for losing your mom, he was able to finally mourn her and he didn't take it easy and lashed out, there was no way you could've stopped him," Zoe said, bringing her head down to rest against his forehead.

"I still don't like seeing him like this, that's part of why I had to help him, to keep him from ending up behind bars but what kind of brother am I when I can't even stop that from happening?" He asked bitterly, mad at himself.

"The best brother a guy could ask for," Zoe quickly replied with. "If it wasn't for you, he would've been behind bars a long time ago; you've talked him out of doing a lot of stupid stuff. I never liked that you would blow me and your daughter off to help him out, but I do understand why you did it for, you were looking out and protecting him the best you could. But it really is doing him good to be where he is at because now he's seeing just what his actions can do too not only him but everyone else. It's the lesson he needed to learn the hard way."

"Why must you be right?" He asked with a small smirk.

"I'm not always right," Zoe told him with a small laugh. "But I do like you think so," she smiled, lightly grazing her lips against his.

* * *

"What do you want?" Jesse asked seeing just who was waiting to see him. He didn't like it one little bit. Now he knew what that bad feeling in the pit of his stomach had been the second he had woken up that morning. He had tried to push the feeling away, but the more time that went by the stronger the feeling got and when he was told he had a visitor he knew he it wasn't going to be good, other than George no one else came in to see him simply because he didn't have anyone else to come and see him and he was okay with that. He wanted to think that Wade would've came in and seen him if he wouldn't have gotten his little brother locked up with him.

"I need you to do a favor for me," the man smirked, seeing how mad Jesse was getting at that those little words.

"Haven't I done enough for you?" Jesse asked with a snarl. "I did what you wanted and you framed me!" He growled out, keeping his voice low not wanting to draw attention to them.

"It shouldn't have been that way," the man told him. "I didn't know Jonah was going to be there and I didn't tell you to shoot the kid, just the old man," Jesse's visitor barked at him, getting upset with the turn of events. No one told him no and got away with it.

"But the ol' man was dead when I showed up," Jesse argued back feeling outraged that he would show up and demand him to do something that he had been told he didn't need to do because he was out and done with it all. He wanted to better his life.

"Again that wasn't the plan. Now are you going to do me that favor?" The guy asked through clenched teeth. He was done playing games.

"Not going to happen," Jesse sneered at the man. "I was told I was free when I did that last job for you," he smarted off, ready to get up. He didn't have time to listen to lies and excuses that just didn't add up no matter how long he thought about it, he had been framed and he was too stupid to realize it back then.

"If you want to live you will sit back down," the man warned him with a smug smirk on his face.

"Kill me, I don't care," Jesse told him coolly, with a small shrug.

"What about your brother? Or how about his little girl and girlfriend?" The man asked knowing he had Jesse right where he wanted him at.

"You won't touch them or hurt them. You will stay the hell away from them," Jesse hissed sitting back down. He didn't want to do any favors for anyone that wasn't his family. He would do most anything for Wade and Zoe after what he had put them through, but he would refuse to do anything for the man that had ruined his life to begin with.

"You do this one thing for me and I'll get you out of here and you won't ever see me again," the man smirked, leaning forward some. "Do we have a deal?"

Jesse took a deep breath to get his anger under control. He couldn't turn this down. He wanted out of prison he did, but above that he couldn't let anyone harm what family he did have left. It was up to him to keep his little brother safe and he had failed at that once, he couldn't make the same mistake twice. It wasn't even a question he would do it to save Wade and his brother's girls.

"What do you need me to do?" Jesse asked, not liking that he had to make deals to keep Wade safe and he only had himself to blame for such a thing.

"You're going to have a very special visitor in the next few days, you will do as they say in the time allotted and I'll be back once the deal is done and you've held up your end," the man smirked getting up from his seat.

He would do what they asked of him, he had no choice in the matter, he couldn't let his family get hurt anymore than they already were because of him, but he had to come up with a plan of his own to make sure that all parts of this deal were withheld and followed through. He wasn't going to let anyone double cross him.


	15. Chapter 15

"What's going on?" Zoe asked rushing into Wade's hospital room. He had been in the hospital for 5 days and when she got a call from George in a panic she had called Harley to come stay with Evie and she rushed breaking a few traffic laws on her way. Nothing good came to mind when George had her rushing to the hospital.

"He has to go back, I'm trying to stop it but I have nothing left to keep him here in the hospital. The judge has yet to go over the case I have presented him with on getting Wade out. I'm sorry, Zoe, I'm going to keep trying," George informed her.

"You're doing your best," she told him feeling defeated. "I'm going to go see him," she said sadly. George nodded his head, not really knowing what he could say to help cheer her up. He really didn't think there was anything, she was losing him once again and that couldn't be easy.

She was ticked off because Wade wasn't ready to be leaving the hospital, anything could still happen and the prison infirmary wasn't equipped to handle something like that. She really thought it was best if he stayed in the hospital for a few more days to really make sure he was healed properly.

"I'm going to be fine," he told his girlfriend, holding his arms open for her. She easily fell into his embrace, warm silent tears soaking through the shirt he was wearing. He was just waiting on his release papers to be brought to him. He didn't like this either, but he didn't have much of a choice. "I'll be home before you know it," he cooed, running his fingers through her soft hair.

"I'm going to tell Evie the truth, she's going to ask questions and it's going to be easier on all of us if she knows the truth. She's heard enough from around town that she had an idea of what's going on, but her knowing that you're in prison it won't make her love you any less," Zoe quickly told him, not sure how much time she had left with him.

"I know it won't," he replied, softly kissing her temple. He grew quiet, not able to find the right words to comfort his girlfriend. Instead he offered her the only thing he could give her.

20 minutes later the doctor walked in. Zoe clung to Wade tighter, not ready for him to go back to the prison. But the words that came from his mouth had Wade and Zoe relaxing knowing they had another day together, because they couldn't figure out where Wade's file had gone too.

"Who would steal your files?" Zoe asked. It really didn't make sense to her.

"Yeah, I can't figure that one out either," he replied. He would think George to buy him a few more days but George wouldn't risk his job in such a way. The only other name that came to mind would be Lavon, but that was just bizarre all around. Lavon had no reason to go around stealing his file. After striking those two options out, he had to wonder if it was someone to do with Jesse, but again that really didn't make much sense to him either. What good would come for them if he was being watched in the hospital?

"No one has anything to gain by doing such an act. It's too risky for anyone. It just doesn't make any sense," she sighed.

"You don't have to tell me, baby. The only person it does any good for is me and there is no way that I had gotten out of this bed, walked to where ever they have my file, which I don't know, shouldn't it be on the computer? And stole the file or even erased it and got away and back to my bed before they caught me?" He questioned, taking a much needed breath.

"No offense here, but I highly doubt that you could even hack into the system to delete your file, let alone swipe the paper file they have on you, it's not like you could ditch your security detail out there," she said. The more she thought about it the more confused she became.

"None taken," he laughed. It made zero sense to him. "How's Evie and little Cinder doing?" He asked, needing his mind to be elsewhere.

"Evie's afraid of her, scared to pet her. She thinks little Cinder is going to bite her," Zoe told him with a soft smile on her face, pulling her cell phone out to show her husband the picture of Evie holding the hamster ball that Cinder was in. Wade grinned at the picture, seeing how happy his little girl was with her pet. It put his mind at ease and let him think about something other than the mess he once again found himself in.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Jesse asked his eyes wide seeing just who showed up to see him. He couldn't connect the dots. He was missing a very crucial part of everything. It really was the very last person he had thought he would ever see come in and visit him.

"I'm here to tell you what needs to be done," the older man hissed.

"You work for them?" Jesse questioned getting outraged that he had been played.

"No," the guy told him, shaking his head. "I've been undercover with a few others. But I can get you out of here, but you have to do as Judson says, we're getting ready to bring him and his power mob down, but in the mean time we need to play our parts." He was told.

"Why should I believe anything you tell me?" Jesse hissed under his breath. "Why shouldn't I just go to the police now and report everything? Because I'm tired of everyone thinking they can use my brother and his family against me?"

"I can't tell you that. You have no reason to believe anything I tell you, but I need you to do this." Jesse was told. "Your brother and his family are going to be okay and if you go to the police you know what's going to happen because you've tried it before, the case gets lost along the way and you're the one that ends up in trouble." He rubbed his hands over his face, knowing just how true that was. He was ready to ask about Wade when he frowned looking down at the folder that had been pushed across the table to him.

"What's this?" Jesse asked, glancing down at the folder. The guy said nothing, motioning for Jesse to open it up. Cautiously Jesse flipped it open. "Why am I looking at Wade's hospital file for?" He questioned.

"They were getting ready to send him back here and we can't have that, so I had Tom hack into the hospital's database and do a little damage while I grabbed that." Was quickly and easily explained to him.

"Why are you doing this? And nerdy little Tom?" Jesse asked, keeping his laughter in.

"It don't matter why I'm doing this and yes Jesse little nerdy Tom. Now you'll be getting tossed back into GenPop tomorrow and you'll have to find a Jake Nass and find out everything he knows." Jesse closed his eyes, hearing his orders.

"I know Jake, but I have no freaking clue what you are talking about," Jesse told him. "What is it I need to get from him?"

"Everything."

"That makes no sense," Jesse retorted, shaking his head. "You're not drunk are you?" Jesse growled.

"No, I'm not drunk. Jake he's been working for the opposing side, the side you were sent in and got framed for. You need to find out everything that Jake knows, but most importantly who killed Jonah's father that night."

"That's one tall order to fill. How do expect Jake to talk to me?" He asked with a humorless laugh.

"You do whatever it takes, son," was being hissed at him.

"I'm not your son," Jesse snapped, leaning back in his chair. "I haven't been since you chose the bottle over me. You saved Wade once and you think you can call yourself a father?" Jesse growled out. "How long after I left with Wade did you notice?" Jesse asked. Earl looked down. "That's what I had thought."

"I'm not proud of that time in my life, Jesse. I had hit rock bottom more than once after you left with Wade and I'm proud of you for doing that, for giving Wade a better life than I could've given him."

"Yeah well Wade didn't get much of choice, now did he?" Jesse snapped. "How do you go from a drunk to working against the freaking mob?"

"Judson helped me out a few times, owed him a favor. I was in deep, still am, but the FBI, in order to take down Judson, they needed someone on the inside and they didn't really have a bunch of time to waste to get one of their own in and because both my sons were in prison, I was the safest bet to help them out. "

"So what? If I help you, help bring Judson down, I get to walk from here?"

"Yes, every last charge will be dropped and before you say anything, we're working on getting your brother home, George has already made an excellent case for that. Now get the information and don't tell anyone but me and I'll tell the right people what they need to know."

"And if you don't make it back?" Jesse asked.

"I'll be back," Earl stated getting up.

"There is always a chance you won't be," Jesse snarled. Even seeing what his father had done, he was still finding it hard to trust him. He had so much history with his father that it was hard to look past it all. "What about Wade, Zoe and Evie, nothing can happen to them and Judson has always used them as leverage?"

"They're safe," was all Earl would tell him.

Jesse was finding it hard to think straight after that one huge bomb dealing with his father had been dropped on him. He knew he had to move past that shocking twist to get in the right mind frame to deal with Jake. He was also relieved to hear that Wade, Zoe and Evie were going to be safe from whatever Judson used to threaten them with.


	16. Chapter 16

**I'm sorry for the little wait with this chapter. I'm just trying to sort a few things out with it and in doing that I just couldn't write a word for this story, I haven't figured it all out yet, but this was begging for me to write it and I do hope you all enjoy it and I promise to get the next chapter up sooner for all of you.**

* * *

 _It hadn't hit him until he had her firmly in his arms, her eyes shut as she slept peacefully in her father's arms. He had thought he knew what he was getting into when Zoe told him that she was with child, with his child, but the meaning behind those words didn't hit him until she was born and in his arms. Everything sank in and he needed fresh air. He placed a soft kiss to his newborn daughter's head, murmuring, "Daddy loves you and nothing will ever hurt you, not with Daddy nearby."_

 _With daughter and mommy sleeping he slid out of the room, hoping that the fresh air would help clear his mind and take his new found worries of fatherhood away, but it do no such thing. He pulled his phone out but just as quickly stuffed it back into his pocket leaving his phone turned off. He had no one he could call to help him with the panic that had set in. He had no friends that were parents so they wouldn't understand what he was going through. He would call his father, because any insight would be better than none but he had no clue how to get hold of his father. He thought about calling Harley, but that didn't feel right because Harley wasn't there when Zoe was born, so in a sense Harley didn't even get what it was he was going through. He didn't know Ethan good enough to have deep and meaning conversions so he ruled Ethan out as well._

 _Church bells in the distance told him he had been standing outside rooted to the same spot longer than he had thought and the last thing he wanted to do was worry Zoe and make her think that he was bailing on them because that was the last thing he would ever do. Holding his daughter in his arms for what time he had done so, he promised himself and her that he would do anything to protect her and that he would always be there for her because raising his daughter was now the most important job in the world._

 _He had rushed into the hospital, going straight to the floor he needed. He went to turn the handle on the door to push it open but he froze, stumbling back into the wall. He leaned against the wall, his eyes trained on the door before him, holding one of the most precious things life could ever give you; a life. A brand new life, it was up to him and Zoe to teach their child everything they could so she could have a wonderful magical life. It all was overwhelming for him._

 _With determination he pushed himself off the wall and entered the room. The sight before him stilling him. Zoe was sitting up in bed, holding their daughter, her lips pressed ever so gently against the pink knit hat that sat on top of his baby girls head. Seeing the two people he loves more than anything else in the world made his heart melt. All those worries, the panic he had let in was gone as he watched. He walked further into the room; he bent down to share a loving kiss with his girlfriend, a kiss filled with love and admiration for her._

 _"_ _You need to rest," he told her, giving her no room to argue. She had gone through countless hours of labor bringing their daughter into the world and with how numb his hand had felt afterwards it wasn't an easy feat._

 _"_ _As long as you don't take off again," she said, having a feeling on why he did it in the first place. They were first time parents, and as exciting and alluring as it is, it was scary and she had freaked out months ago, when their little baby girl had started to move inside of her._

 _"_ _I wouldn't dream of it," he smiled, carefully taking his little girl into his arms, his eyes filling up with love and admiration for her. "We should name her Evie."_

 _"_ _I like that," Zoe commented, her eyes closing on their own accord, no longer able to fight off the sleep she had refused to give into once she had woken up looking for her boyfriend only to realize he was gone. There was no way she could sleep not knowing if he was going to be okay, so she waited for his safe return._

 _Wade sat in the little rocking chair that was in the room, gently rocking Evie, with an ever so soft voice smooth as silk as not to disturb or startle his baby girl, he began telling her what stories he could remember from his childhood when his family was whole. Sitting there with his little girl in his arms his family had felt whole again._

 _He would be a fool to give that up..._

* * *

A fool he had been. He sighed to himself as he ran a fatherly hand through his daughter's dark blonde locks, brushing the hair from her eyes as she lay curled up to him sleeping.

Over the years he had broken more promises to his little girl than he ever thought he would. Zoe and Evie were all he needed in his life, they did make him whole, but he found it harder to tell his brother no, not after everything Jesse had done for him. But he should've just walked away that first time, should've just left town with his girlfriend and daughter and never looked back. He realized too late that the only two people he needed to be truly happy are Zoe and Evie. The only thing keeping him from going through with his plan had been his brother, because he would not abandon any member of his family but in doing that he let the two most important people in his life down and he would be making up for that for the rest of his life.

"Penny for your thoughts," Zoe commented, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"It's nothing much," he told her holding his hand out for her to take. She easily slipped her hand in his, sitting in the chair next to his bed. She remained quiet waiting for him to say more, she could see it was written on his face, that he had more to say but wasn't quite sure how to put it into words. "I can't fix what I've done," he paused, capturing her eyes with his own, holding them captive. "We will be okay," he finished, seeing no point in stating things he's told her numerous times before.

"Yes, we will be," she confirmed, seeing he needed to be assured more than she did right now. "What's going on? You haven't been this down on things since you were taken to jail, are they sending you back?" She asked, her panic rising within her.

"Not that I know of," he told her, shaking his head, his thumb brushing the back of her hand in small soft strokes. "I was thinking of the day Evie was born. So many emotions wrecked havoc on me that day, and I stupidly chose my brother over my daughter, over you, time and time again, after I promised myself and Evie that the two of you was all I needed. For what?" He questioned with a frustrated sigh.

"Because you're loyal, Wade," she easily answered. "I don't like that you did it, but I get it. Jesse gave his life up for you and even though you don't owe him anything, you will always feel like that. And that's okay because I don't want you to write your brother from your life. But it's your turn to help him turn his life around and make him see that under all that bad blood, there is still some good there."

"I love you, Zoe," he told her. Those were the only words he could use to tell Zoe just how much he cared for her, to sum up how he really felt about her. She was his true North and with her by his side he would always find his way.

"That goes without saying," she smirked at him. "And it goes without saying that I love you, Wade," her smirk turning into a smile filled with love and admiration for her boyfriend.

Together they were unstoppable, they've proved that before. And together they would find Wade a way to come home and get out of prison and out of the hospital room Wade had once thought as a bit of his freedom but now it felt like a prison that was suffocating him.

The quietness of the night, some strings Zoe had easily pulled to let them stay a few hours longer with Wade, washed over them. Both of them letting their minds go to the one place they hadn't been in a while, to the future, to when Wade would be home.

"We've never talked about kids. Evie just happened and she had always been enough, and she always will be, but how do you feel about adding to our little family?" She asked him suddenly nervous.

"You are right about it all, Evie is more than enough, but I wouldn't mind a little boy," he smiled, picturing a mini version of himself with dark hair and dark eyes. "Once I'm out of this crap I've landed myself in," he finished, planting a kiss to her knuckles. This right here was all he needed and having another child would only add to it.


	17. Chapter 17

**From here on out, which I'm not sure exactly how many chapter are really left as the plans were to end this one chapters ago, because when the idea for this story came to mind I had only figured it would be a few chapters long and now I'm nearly at chapter 20 and I'm still a little ways off from the end. But back to the point, from here on out chapters will be posted a lot faster as it's the only HoD story that I have going so most of attention will be on this one.**

 **I'm not sure how well the flashback really fits in here but I like it and I don't have the heart to change the flashback to something else, but it does make a connection with the way Jesse feels.**

 **I tried to have this up on Friday but I didn't get it finished in time, things came up then I was going to wait until Monday to post but I had a free morning on what should be a beautiful Saturday to post.**

 **Also the poll I had up ended in a tie, so I took the two stories ( _Ten_ and _Web of Lies_ ) and made a new poll adding a third option, so if you haven't voted please do as the poll will end once I finish this story up. Thank you.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Finding Jake Nass was the easy part, getting close to him was the only problem Jesse was having. The guy was surrounded by a dozen inmates, his groupies if you will at all times. Jesse had watched Jake for a few days, trying to find his way in. He had done plenty of things to get people to leave him alone, to get what respect he could get in here, but it wasn't good enough.

"You have a death wish or something?" Jesse looked up to see who was talking to him. As of lately he put up with no one, he was on a mission and no one would take that from him. Jesse growled at the man he had learned was his little brother's cell mate. "Jake is the number one bad guy around here," Joel sighed, feeling like he owed it to Wade to help keep Jesse from trouble. "If you want in with Jake you need to make a stand against one of his lackeys, he only wants the toughest people, that is what I heard," Joel told him, not believing his own ears that he had just said that. Being the quiet nerdy guy did have a few advantages.

Jesse raised an eyebrow at the geeky looking guy. He wasn't about to question him on why he was helping him. Instead he grunted a thanks and started to put a plan together. None of the guys that hung around Jake were exactly little, they all were jacked and if he was a chick he'd say there muscles went on for fucking days, but he wasn't a chick but damn he had to find away to get in and there was no way he could take any of those guys on, he wanted to live and not die by being gutted in prison.

"If that fails, he's in the infirmary every morning at 9," Joel informed him, walking off. Jesse watched him leave, knowing that it was best he didn't ask Joel any questions and the next time he needed to figure things out he'd find the guy that was supposed to be sharing a cell with his brother. For a fleeting second his thoughts went to Wade hoping that his brother was doing better than he currently was.

Getting to the infirmary was going to be easier than getting in with the group that belonged to Jake. He looked around needing the perfect excuse, one where he wouldn't end up in solitary confinement either. Not wanting to fight anyone or owe anyone favors he made his way to the pay phone. He really hoped the one person he called wouldn't hang up on him because he needed this. For a second he thought his call would go to voicemail and he would be okay with that because he would still be able to ask what he needed to.

"Hello?" Was being said, cutting off his thoughts on the message he would leave. But now that someone had answered the phone his mouth suddenly felt dry.

* * *

 _"That should be my ball, Jesse," Wade complained for the hundredth time since leaving the ball park 2 hours prior. Jesse chucked, messing his brother's hair up before heading to his room._

 _Jesse had taken Wade to an_ _Atlanta_ _Braves game for his 10th birthday. They both needed some better memories for the year and seeing a smile on his little brother's face for being at a baseball game for his favorite team made Jesse smile._

 _The ball in question Jesse was tossing in the air. He didn't want the ball to be honest. When the ball had been hit to them by Wade's favorite player, Jesse could easily see that there was no way that Wade would be able to catch it, so Jesse did. He refused to give the ball to Wade, already having plans for the ball. And it was a plus that having the ball annoyed Wade to no end._

 _"What?" Jesse asked with an annoyed huff, seeing that his little brother had barged into his room._

 _"Why can't you just give me the ball? You don't even like baseball, Jesse," Wade sighed, his eyes trained on the ball that lay forgotten on Jesse's bed._

 _"So what?" Jesse snapped. "Ever think that it means something to me? That when I look at the ball it reminds me of the day I spent with my little brother and we had a blast, that nothing else mattered because we were together, did you ever consider what it meant to me?" Jesse questioned exploding at his little brother. Everything he said was true, but it wasn't the reason he kept the ball, he didn't need the ball to remember the day he had just spent with Wade. He just needed time._

 _"Oh," Wade responded, feeling like the fool. He really didn't think the ball had meant so much to Jesse. He was so determined to get the ball from Jesse that he never thought about Jesse wanting to keep the ball as a reminder. "I didn't know, Jesse. I didn't think that it would mean that much to you. I'm sorry," Wade sighed, backing out of his brother's room._

 _"Next time you can have the ball," Jesse remarked with a smirk. Wade rolled his eyes and went to his room sulking even more than he had when they first got home._

 _He was starting to feel bad about the little lie the told his brother months ago. The ball did represent everything that he told Wade, but he didn't need the ball for that, he just needed Wade off his back. There was plenty of days that he was ready to hand the ball over but he would see this thing through to the end._

 _With the ball forgotten about, Christmas had snuck up on them. Wade had no illusion that Santa would show up, he knew that Santa wasn't real and with his dad drinking away all the money he did make on the days he did show up for work that there wouldn't be any presents for him under the Charlie Brown Christmas tree they had in their living room. So he didn't even bother to get up early like previous years._

 _"I thought it meant something to you," Wade remarked, watching his brother place the ball on his dresser._

 _"It does, but I can see that it means more to you then it ever would to me. It's always been your ball, Wade, I just had to add a few things," Jess shrugged. "Merry Christmas, Wade."_

 _He waited until Jesse was gone before he got up and examined the ball. A smile took over the frown he had been wearing for days seeing that nearly every player from the_ _Atlanta_ _Braves had signed the ball. Not only that, it was sitting inside a glass box with the Braves logo engraved on the top panel of glass. A Merry Christmas it was indeed._

* * *

Zoe had been called into work the night shift at the prison being able to leave the following day at 11 in the morning. She didn't mind working overnight at the prison, she would be fine, but her worry was Evie. She had plans of leaving her daughter with Lemon and George for the night. Ethan was working late himself and couldn't get out of it and Harley was out of town and wouldn't make it back in time. But Evie wanted to spend the night with her daddy and refused to stay elsewhere. With no time to waste, Zoe set to work figuring out what she needed to do get Evie set in Wade's room. Trading shifts and working a few shifts she dreaded to work out was set for Evie to stay the night in Wade's hospital room.

"We're going to be fine, I can move around so she can't go roam the hospital alone. I can take care of my daughter," he said, sounding more hurt than anything. There was no lack of trust on Zoe's side and she knew that Wade didn't have trust issues either, it just so happened to come off that way, but she really did trust Wade, he hasn't done anything to warrant her not to trust him with their daughter or with her, he had yet to hurt her and she doubted that he would ever do that.

"I know you can, Wade. I worry about both of you," she said, sharing a kiss with her boyfriend. "Take good care of Daddy, okay?" She questioned her daughter, kissing her cheek.

"I will, Mommy," Evie beamed, curling back up with her daddy a content smile on her face.

With a smile Zoe left the duo for the night. Wade knew that he would be getting a call from Zoe every hour to check up on them. It did make him feel like Zoe didn't trust him enough with Evie alone anymore, but he knew that it was more about the fact he wasn't one hundred percent yet and he would be worried if she didn't check up on them, showed she cared about them.

"Now that I have you here and that I have yet to tell Wade you needed a favor, what's going on, Jesse?" Zoe asked an hour after she was working and she had a guard bring Jesse up saying it was urgent. That a few things from his medical file were missing and she had to be the one to monitor the tests.

"Because Wade can't know, not until this thing is over with and there's an inmate that comes in every morning at 9 and I need to be here to speak with him," he explained vaguely as possible. The less she knew the better it was, but lying to her and making her lie to Wade made him feel guilty like when he was a kid and he had to lie in order to surprise him, this was different but the guilt felt the exact same.

"Then you'll be here to talk to Jake. And I know nothing," she told him. "But in the meantime I need to run a few tests before people get suspicious." Jesse nodded, ready for a little pain as he waited, it was the better of the options he did have.

"Thanks for this, Zoe." She nodded giving him a smile and set to work. The very thought that she could get fired if they were ever caught didn't even cross her mind.


	18. Chapter 18

**Please remember to vote in the poll which closes when I'm done with this story, which with what I have planned it will be a few more chapters so not much left.**

 **Have a good weekend everyone and enjoy!**

* * *

He would have preferred for his girlfriend to stay with them, but he got that work called. He didn't even know if he still had a job once he did get out. He got that he was stupid to mess with his family in the way that he has, but not having a job that was an impact he was just realizing. He messed that up because he was the manager of the little bar he had started out as a busboy for when he was 15 and over the years worked his way to the top with hard work and now it was a good possibility that he had flushed that down the toilet. But he couldn't dwell on that when he had one of his loves curled into his side as old episodes of Full House played.

"Daddy, when are you coming home?" Evie asked softly, playing with the corner of the blanket that covered them both.

He pulled her close, placing a soft kiss to the top of her head. "Daddy isn't sure when he'll be home sweetie. Daddy did a bad thing and he has to pay for what he did. That's why we don't do bad things, Evie," he carefully explained letting a sigh out. He couldn't lie to her; it was time she knew to an extent on what was going on. He wasn't mad at Zoe for not telling her because it shouldn't be on her.

"Then why do it?" Evie asked her attention no longer focused on the TV hanging on the wall but on her father. Wade sighed using his free hand to rub his face, not sure how to answer that question.

"I wish I had an answer for that, but I don't." And that was the truth. Sure he did it to help Jesse out, but he didn't have to do it, Jesse wasn't forcing him into it and he could always back out, but he never did, feeling better about having his brother's back then not being there to help him if he needed it. But he couldn't blame Jesse for any of it because he did so on his own free will.

"Is that why Mommy is sad?" Evie questioned sadly.

"Yeah that's why Mommy is sad," he replied hating what he had done to his family, closing his eyes to hide the pain that was in them.

"So you didn't leave 'cause you don't love us?" That question confused him but it angered him even more his eyes snapping open.

"I will always love you and Mommy and I would never leave you or Mommy behind. I don't know where you heard it from but I promise you that I would never do something like that, ever," he promised her. It really broke him to see her so fragile. He would have a chat with Zoe and find out who was saying what about him around his daughter. He wasn't happy about that at all.

Evie looked at her dad deep in thought. Wade waited with bated breath to hear what she would say. Kids held nothing back and whatever she said whether it was good or bad, he'd take it, because as far as he was concerned he deserved it. Instead she leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Love you daddy."

"Daddy loves you sweetie very much," he replied, pulling her closer, not wanting her anywhere else. Whatever the circumstances were it was always best to make the most of it and build happy memories to last a lifetime than dwell on the bad going on around them.

* * *

 _"You can't just leave me!" Wade yelled, tears building up in his eyes. Up until today he thought everything was good as it could be. His dad was still taking to the bottle but he had Jesse there and now the one person he had been able to count on was leaving him. He didn't care if he looked like a baby for crying because he was being left behind._

 _"It's for the best, Wade. I have to go live my life, I can't put it off any longer, you will be fine and I'm only going to be a phone call away." He couldn't put his life on hold because his little brother needed him. It didn't work like that. "I promise it will be like I never left." He was trying so hard to make Wade see, that he was forgetting why he had to go right now for._

 _"But it won't be the same and you know it. You're leaving me," Wade stated harshly, abandon the lone word going unsaid but both brother's could hear it loudly in their heads._

 _"I'm sorry, Wade. One day you'll understand," Jesse told him lamely getting into his car. He didn't even make it anywhere before putting the car in park and turning it off. "Maybe you can come with and we can figure something out," Jesse caved; knowing that he was doing the right thing for Wade. He'd do anything for Wade, if their dad wouldn't step up to be the father Wade needed than he would get the father figure in Jesse. "Go pack and I'll talk to dad and tell him what's going on." Even if he did change his mind there was no way he could stay there and Wade was coming with him._

 _Wade broke out onto a grin and ran to his room getting everything he wanted or needed into a bag. He could always come back later and get anything that he had missed. He was beyond excited to be away from the man that was his father that would rather drink instead of taking care of him leaving it to Jesse to be the grown up around there and sure he got that it wasn't up to Jesse to raise him but he didn't want to know what it would be like without Jesse there._

 _Looking around his room to make sure he had everything he cringed hearing the yells and the glass breaking. He headed down stairs hoping he wouldn't get caught by his father._

 _"Like hell my son is going with you, Jesse," Earl hissed._

 _"Yeah and what are you going to do to stop me?" Jesse seethed back._

 _"Do you want to go to jail for kidnapping your brother?" Earl smirked._

 _"Like any cop or judge would believe you. You're a no good drunk, you can't put the bottle down for either one of your son's, I'm doing what's best for him and I will continue to do what's best for him, got it pops?" Jesse asked in a menacing tone tuning on his heel not wanting to hear what his father was going to say._

 _"Take care of him." Jesse nodded when the soft words had reached him. It was what older brothers did. Jesse walked outside to see that Wade was rushing to get into the car. He cringed not knowing just how much of the yelling match he had heard but he had to guess that he heard the majority of it._

* * *

 _Take care of him._ The words circled around in Jesse's head as he laid in the infirmary. Over time he had failed at doing just that and now it was time for him to make his redemption. He was going to do whatever it took to get Wade cleared of this mess. He pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind when Jake was brought in.

Zoe walked out of her office shooting Jesse a look. She had just gotten off the phone with Wade, they were playing a game of candy land which Evie had won and Wade pouted demanding a rematch because she had to have cheated in order to beat him; before they went on a walk to see Austin, it seemed that Evie and the wardens little boy were quite the best of friends.

"There's our pretty little doctor now," Jake smiled. "Wouldn't you agree Jesse?" Jake asked, shooting the other inmate a look. That alone took Jesse off guard; he didn't think that Jake knew he was. He rolled his eyes at himself for sounding like he was back in high school and Jake was the most popular guy around.

"Of course she is," Jesse replied with a sweet little smile, seeing that Zoe's cheeks tinted a light pink color. He had always thought Zoe was pretty even when she had showed up that first day with Wade and he teased them. She had always been Wade's and he would never step between that, even if he had without meaning to.

"I come in here and flirt with her when she is in but it goes nowhere when she quickly shuts me down saying she's with someone. Maybe you'll have a better chance, as long as little brother doesn't stop you that is," Jake smirked.

"How?" Zoe squeaked out, nearly dropping the needle in hand.

"I have my ways, Dr. Hart, not to mention that when you did visit Wade you were in a room filled with people, word does spread," he sneered lightly tossing a wink in.

Zoe glared at him, making sure she had the right amount of insulin.

"But I digress, this had nothing to with the pretty doctor, this if between us isn't it, Jesse?" Jake asked with a knowing look at the man to his right.

Zoe cleaned the spot where she was to inject him at, easily slipping the needle into his arm and injecting the insulin. Pulling the needle out she placed the bandage over the spot she had just poked. "Any light headedness?" She asked remembering he had felt something from the last time she saw him.

"Just a little bit, nothing that shouldn't last longer than 10 minutes, Dr. Hart." She nodded, cleaning her mess up. She looked at Jesse on her way out and he shook his head. With a heavy sigh she left them be going wishing that it won't backfire on her.

Knowing he only had 10 minutes didn't help him out because he couldn't make any words come out of his suddenly dry mouth. He had forgotten what it was he needed to ask and what he had to find out, he was screwed.

"I know what you want to know and contrary to popular belief you hold all the answer. I'm not as connected as one might think; I'm not part of that shit. I only know Judson because we went to school together, but I know that Judson is a pawn in this game like you are, Jesse, we all are. The guy you were to kill, you should have done it, because you wouldn't be here if you would've gone through with it," Jake told him.

"What?" Jesse asked confused, eyebrows knitting together as he tried to put the pieces together. "You're saying that I was framed after I showed up there? Did he kill his own father as well?"

"Look at you figuring shit out on your own," Jake laughed.

"I thought you didn't know much?" Jesse questioned. "And why tell me that?"

"I deserve to be in this place, your brother doesn't and as far a you're concerned I don't really know. People like your brother shouldn't be in here for someone else's mistake. Huh, what do you know, I do know more than I tend to let on." Jesse rolled his eyes at Jake's reply. He was thankful for all the help he had given him. "Next time, don't be shy, we can be friends Jesse."

"Uh, yeah, sure," Jesse told him. "And uh thanks for the help."

"It really wasn't anything, Jesse. The guy needs to rot in hell for what he's done and now he will. You just make sure the right people know. It's your life on the line here, telling the wrong person means you're stuck in this place for another 20 years and Wade he might be able to get out in a few years when he's suppose to, but we know it doesn't always work that way," Jesse nodded his head. He needed to talk to two different people; he just hoped like hell that one of them was the one person that he could trust. "Dr. Hart, I'm feeling much better now," Jake called out.

Zoe quickly went to let the guard in to take Jake back to his cell or where ever he was to be at. With the room now empty besides the two of them she looked at Jesse. "Anything I can do for you?"

"Yeah, I need to talk to George, think you can get him here?" Zoe nodded her head. "But other than telling Wade the nightmare will soon be over with, I'm ready to head back now. Thank you for doing this Zoe, you didn't have to, but really thank you."

"You may not have ever been one of my favorite people but your brother loves you and Evie admires her uncle Jesse, and who am I to ruin that? You welcome Jesse, one day we will be a family," she smiled softly at him, going to call a guard to escort Jesse back before making that call to George for him.


	19. Chapter 19

**I really hope you guys are able to follow along with the way I've broken this chapter up into four different parts. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I'm afraid to say that the next one will be the last chapter for this story.**

 **Also don't forget to vote in the poll for the next story you want to see. It will be open longer as for the remaining part of the summer, I'm going to focus on doing a few different one shots that I have ideas for.**

 **Enjoy** **!**

* * *

Jesse sat in the room alone, he had no idea how that was even possible. Every other visit with George, Judson and even his father was with a room filled with people, so for George to pull this off was rather nice because he really didn't want to talk in hushed tones, not knowing if the people next to them heard what he was saying or if the guards were on someone's payroll, he didn't know just who he could trust within the prison walls, he didn't want to think that the guards were corrupt like he made up in his mind from watching too many damn shows on TV, his life wasn't one made up on TV.

"This is pretty fancy," Jesse commented with a smirk once George was sitting in front of him.

George quickly shook his head. "This wasn't my doing," he quickly informed him.

Hearing that bit of information Jesse sat up straighter, his eyes darting to the side where the one sided window was at. He had to wonder who was on the other side. Now he was wishing that they were out there with the rest of them because he no longer felt comfortable in what little bit of privacy he now had.

"It wasn't what I had thought. I've come to learn the whole situation I was in," he told George, his voice low, hoping that whoever was on the other side couldn't hear his words.

George looked at him curiously. "Okay, then what's going on?" George questioned just as quiet.

"You know I was sent to kill someone that night, but I didn't kill anyone, you know that, there was no body found and there was no way that I could hide a body that fast and the old man he was dead hours before hand so there was no way that I could've done that," Jesse easily said, stopping to lick his lips, leaning closer to George, everything he had just said was nothing new and anyone that took a look at his case could easily find that out so he had no reason to be quiet while he spoke. With his voice lowered, he urged to George to lean closer to him. "I've been informed that this all leads back to one person."

"Who dare I ask is that?" George asked, making notes as he listened closely to what Jesse was telling him.

Jesse not feeling comfortable enough to actually say the name out loud motioned for George's pen and paper. He slowly slipped the paper and pen over waiting to see what Jesse was going to write. With the paper back in front of him he was suddenly nervous to look down to see the name that was written in Jesse's messy scrawl.

 _Todd Gainey Jr._

"What?" George asked, shocked seeing that name on his paper. Even he knew just how dangerous that family was. He really didn't want to think that Jesse's case was one that was going to be so complicated.

"With him dead, I wouldn't be here," he whispered harshly, more upset with himself.

It was the first time dealing with Jesse's case that he was at a lost on what to do. There was no way he could go against the Gainey's not only were they dangerous but very powerful as well. With his pen hovering above the paper he gently asked Jesse if there was anything else. Jesse shook his head. "I'll figure something out, I don't know what yet, but I will," George informed him, getting up and collecting his things. "You should know that Wade will be back later today, so keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't get injured worse than he already is."

"What?" Jesse asked in a panic, not able to jump up like he wanted to do, being cuffed to the table. "How long is he going to be in here for? He needs to be out there, George," he hissed pleading with his friend.

"Not long," George replied, walking to the door. "Just keep an eye on him and I'll do what I can for you," he promised, exiting the room, when a guard opened the door for him.

Jesse sighed, resting his head on the cool metal table in front of him. This whole thing was blowing up in his face and he couldn't do anything to stop it. He didn't even look up when the door opened and the chair that George was sitting in screeched across the floor.

* * *

"Where's Evie? What's going on?" Wade asked looking between his girlfriend and his friend.

Zoe sighed sitting down next to her boyfriend. She had thought that George has informed him of what was going on. She didn't like it but there was nothing she could do about it. There was no way that was going to bring Evie to their meeting, not when George told her it was urgent, she had dropped Evie off with Lemon. Evie had wanted to stay with Lemon missing her aunt, Zoe still hadn't cleared the air with Lemon when it came to her butting into Zoe's life even if she did understand it from where Lemon was standing, but apologizes and making up with Lemon would just have to wait until a later date.

"Wade," George started to say, closing his eyes.

"What are you two not telling me?" He asked in a bit of a panic. He could cross many things off the list, but he was certain he knew what would be coming next and he was bracing himself for that, he just wanted to know for how long. "How long?" He asked in a soft whisper, his eyes darting to the clean floor.

Zoe hated how it broke him. It was easy to piece together and he had done so in no time. She really didn't want to be there when he found it, but she found it hard to be elsewhere when he needed her, the death grip he had on her hand told her as much. As much as this news broke him it broke her, but for now she was going to remain strong and show that it doesn't affect her at all.

"Anywhere from one night to a week," George told him. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to do more for you," he apologized.

"You've done enough, George and I appreciate it, I do," Wade told him. "How much longer do I have?"

"3 hours, I couldn't hold it off any longer than that," George replied. "I've got paperwork to fill out so I'll leave you guys to it," he nodded walking out, the door shutting with a soft thud behind him.

"Does Evie know?" Zoe shook her head.

"I wasn't sure what to tell her or what was really going on until I talked to George in the hall and I was thinking that he had already told you before we came in here," she explained in one long breath.

"Hey it's okay; it's my fault for being in this mess," he told her, stroking his thumb along her hand. "There is no point in lying to her about this, but maybe just wait and see what's going to happen, I don't see the point in telling her that I'm back in prison if there's a chance I'm going to be out tomorrow night. Maybe this once we just play it by ear until we know more," he suggested.

"I'll do my best, but she's going to know something's going on once she finds out she's not going to be coming here to see you," Zoe told him. Wade nodded, his head resting against Zoe's shoulder.

"I know, but I don't know what to do, Zoe." It was no secret as they had talked about this before. It would've been easier if Evie was younger, but that wasn't the case and he didn't want it to be, he loved his daughter and how curious she was about everything going on around her. He never wanted her to stop learning and asking questions no matter how hard those question were going to be to answer.

She ran her free hand through his hair, she'd figure something out. She wasn't going to lie to her daughter, but she was certain that she could get Evie to avoid the hospital for a while without Evie finding out and she felt horrible about that, but this was all new territory for her. And she really didn't see the point in getting Evie worked up about her daddy being sent back to prison if he was only going to be coming home before Evie could even process it, she'd just have to wait and see how long they were going to make Wade wait in prison before they were going to release him.

* * *

"Such a shame that your brother is going to be back in this place. Thought I had it covered." Jesse slowly looked up from where he was resting his head hearing the voice he really didn't want to be hearing right now.

"What are you doing here?" Jesse asked, leaning back in his chair. He knew that he had to fill his father in on what he had learned, he just didn't know if he could trust the man, didn't know if what he had told him before was actually the truth. "I'm going to guess that this is your doing," Jesse said, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know what you mean," Earl told him with a knowing smirk, telling Jesse everything he needed to know. "You have a name I need, boy," Earl told him getting straight to the point.

"And you expect me just to tell you the name like that?" Jesse asked in a rage. "After everything you put me and Wade through. You expect to trust you after all that and one little story doesn't make up for that or make me want to trust you," he spit out, lowering his head, so he could rub his hands over his face.

"I gave you the information about Jake, did I not?" Earl asked with smugness to his voice.

Jesse sighed defeated because his father had a point there. "And what are you going to do once I tell you the name?" He asked, leaning back in his chair exhausted from it all.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Earl smirked, leaning forward. "It's best if you don't know what's going to happen Jesse. I don't need you in anymore trouble than you already in. I'm doing what's best for you and Wade and I know I'm late on that front but I'm doing what I can know and that needs to count for something," he explained, a bit of begging to his voice.

"I don't know if it means anything now or not. I would like to think that I wouldn't be in this mess if you would've wised up years ago and been the father that we needed when we were kids. I'm not blaming my bit of bad luck on you or on Wade because it's on me, I know that, I've came to terms with that, but you weren't there when we needed you and that messes with a kids head!" Jesse yelled in frustration. He took a calming breath.

"To me it does mean something. I want you both to forgive me for what I did to you both. It wasn't my finest moment in life, but I had lost the love of my life and I didn't know how to cope with that and I am sorry and I have to live with what I did, that regret every single day too. I hurt myself along with you both and I'm trying to make that better, Jesse," his father explained feeling just defeated as Jesse had moments ago. "I'm trying to make it up to you both by doing what I can now."

"I'm not telling you what you want to know until you tell me what I want to know, what are you going to do?" Jesse hissed out done playing this game with his father.

"We're going to finish it, by doing what needs to be done. He will get taken down and be locked away where he can't control anyone. Who is it?" Earl explained softly, pleading with his son.

"Todd Gainey Jr. If you don't believe me, you can go ask George," Jesse told him. "And for the record I don't know how soon you can be forgiven, not after everything we had to deal with growing up," Jesse informed him. Earl nodded getting up. He didn't like it but he got it, some wounds were too deep to ever heal.

* * *

Wade walked into the center, feeling free for the first in a long time. Being at the hospital wasn't the same a being out in public, he was still locked up in a sense and not free to do as he pleased. He had only spent one night in prison after being sent back there, he had a feeling that Lavon had something to do with him getting out faster, that he was some how working with George to free him.

"Can I help you, sir?" Wade smiled looking over to the younger women, she had to be in her early 20's.

"I'm looking for a kitten for my daughter," he informed her, his eyes going back to the window where the kittens were playing at. A little black and white kitten that had one orange ear. He had already stopped at the pet store to buy a few things to get the kitten through a few days before he took Evie to buy the kitten more things. There had been kittens at the pet store and they were cute little things but he wanted to adopt a kitten.

"I'm most certain that we will find you the perfect kitten for your daughter," the worker smiled at him, leading him to kitten area.

He had enjoyed playing with all the kittens but the little one that had caught his eye to start with was the one he had ended up getting, placing her carefully into the cat carrier to make his way home.

Zoe knew he would be home, she had been the one to pick him up and he dropped her off at home where their daughter was having tea party with Ethan and Harley, which had been a sight to see.

Both of them had left shortly after, Zoe used the time to clean the place up, keeping that Wade would be home later a surprise for her daughter. She knew what he was doing and she couldn't wait to see the excitement Evie was going to be in.

Pulling up to the house Wade sat in the car. Home it seemed the same but yet different at the same time not that anything had changed besides the grass needing to be cut. He took a moment taking it all in. He was home, where he belonged. A soft meow brought a smile to his face and he picked the carrier up and headed in the direction of the front door. He had barely made it up the first step when the door burst open and his daughter was jumping into his embrace, her arms holding onto her father tightly. Wade not wanting to let go either, held on just as tight, happy to have his little girl back in his arms.

"I have a present for you, but you have to promise one thing first," he told her placing her on the ground, the cat carrier behind her.

"Anything Daddy," she promised with a big bright smile.

"Make sure your kitty doesn't eat Cinder," he told her with a grin, watching the excitement creep into her face. She had no time to say anything as the kitten in question meowed at that precise moment.

"A kitten for our daughter and what does the lovely girlfriend get?" Zoe questioned with a grin, seeing how happy Evie was running up the stairs with her new kitten, gibbering away to her new friend as she went, leaving nothing out.

"You'll find out tonight," he husked against her lips, letting himself get lost in the feeling, in the love, in how safe he felt, how at home he truly was.


	20. Chapter 20

**Thank you to everyone that has came along on this ride with me whether it was from the start or somewhere in between, thank you.**

 **My plan had been to use the remaining weeks of summer vacation for different one shots but sadly my computer is at it again and needs to be fixed. This chapter is being uploaded from my phone as I used my tablet and phone to work on this chapter, so I'm sorry about any mistakes you might find.**

 **I will be back with new stories once my computer is fixed as I'll be working on a few different ones. Remember if you haven't voted in the poll on my page that will now remain open until the first week of September.**

 **Anyway enjoy this final chapter.**

* * *

Waking up in the mornings with his girlfriend pressed against his side was such an amazing feeling. He had grown accustomed to waking up on a cold hard metal surface, the thin excuse of a mattress doing nothing but making his body stiff and his muscles sore, that waking up in the comfort of his own bed, in his house, his girlfriend wrapped around him as he held on tightly, was one of the many things he would never take for granted again, moments he'd remember fondly.

Not only did he enjoy waking up to the sight of Zoe, but walking into his daughter's room to wake her up had felt so surreal to him. For the past two weeks he had made it part of his routine to send Zoe into the shower while he woke Evie up not wanting to miss the way her face lit up upon seeing him. It would never be enough for him.

He had been lucky that even though he had been taken away from his family that instead of them leaving him to rot in the past, they stayed and had done everything they could do and he was going to pay it forward. He would never break a promise to his daughter or his girlfriend ever again.

On the days that no one was in a hurry to leave for work, or Evie to her group, Wade and Evie would work on making breakfast while Zoe would finish getting ready for work. It was those moments he had missed out on that he would cherish and hold dear to his heart.

"I can't comprehend how hard being out is for you, Wade but it's been two weeks and you have made no move to go see about that job of yours," she commented over their breakfast, Evie too focused on her food, not wanting to get syrup all over her outfit. She didn't want to fight with him, she only wanted things to go back to normal and they couldn't go back to normal until Wade moved past his anxiety about not getting his job back, thinking he wasn't good enough and no matter how many times Zoe assured him otherwise, it wasn't enough and she was left to nudge him in the right direction. Afraid to push too hard.

"I know," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. He had no excuse on why he kept putting it off. He'd tell himself that he'd go in the next day, but he had yet to actually go in. It wasn't so much that he was scared to go talk to Wally, it was that he didn't want the pity or the shame he got from everyone else around town. That was the last thing he needed from anyone. He wanted things to go back to normal, which he hated to admit was something that wouldn't happen for months to come if ever. "I'll go there after dropping you off at work." There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for her. If his two girls were happy then he was happy and this was something he needed to do, he had put it off for too long as it was, because he couldn't swallow his damn pride.

"I don't want you to do this because you think I'm pushing you into this, I want you to be ready for it, Wade. And I don't know how you feel about it and I'm okay with that but remember I'm here for you and I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

Wade smiled kissing her softly as he got up to clean up from breakfast. "I know, Zoe," he said. It was just hard to open up about it with her. He didn't want it to burden her in any way and he would be okay he just needed a few more days to fully move past it all. "But I need to do this, it is time that I move on from it all and put it firmly in the past so we can move on and things with us can return to normal. It needs to be done and I see that now," he explained, setting the dishes in the sink to be washed later.

Zoe's response was a kiss they had let themselves get lost in, until Evie started to giggle talking in hushed whispers to Belle, as she quickly tried to sneak a small piece of bacon to her kitty. Zoe went to get after Evie for feeding Belle, but Wade was there shaking his head telling her to let it go. A few small pieces of bacon weren't going to hurt the kitten any.

Like most mornings they dropped Evie off together, hugging and kissing her before she ran off to play with her friends.

With a promise to be back to join her for lunch, Wade headed off to see about his job. He sat in the car his eyes locked on the building before him, the parking lot fairly empty, just a handful of cars for the people working as the place still has an hour before opening and he suddenly feels guilty because it was his job to open the place with the sun. He knew he had abandoned his family but he had never thought that he was abandoning his work, he could easily be replaced but now it's hitting him that maybe that hadn't been the case at all. Pushing his fears and his anxiety to the back of his mind he pushed the door open and climbed out of the car.

"Now aren't you a sight for sore eyes," Wanda teased with a smile. "He's in his office." Wade nodded giving the redhead who had easily become a friend from the years spent working together an easy smile. "And Wade we're happy that you're back."

"Hold that thought, sweetheart," he smirked, making his way to the back were Wally's office was located and tentatively knocked on the door, his fears of Wally kicking him out without giving him another chance creeping forward in his mind and turning on his heel and running was there because he wasn't ready for this meeting.

"Come in." Was being called before he could move away from the door and part of him was relieved as much as he wanted to tuck tail and run there was another part of him that was ready to get this over with because as much as he wanted to think and believe he wasn't ready it was all a lie to keep him from doing the one thing he should've done two weeks ago.

"Hey, Wally," Wade greeted walking into the room on the nervous side of things.

"Wade," Wally greeted with a huge grin, happy to see him once again. "Heard you were out, figured you would've been in days ago but I won't hold that against you." Wade gave him half a smile sitting down, letting himself slowly relax.

"Planned to be here sooner, but adjusting to life even though I wasn't locked away for long was and is still a bit overwhelming at times," he quickly explained with a small shrug of his shoulders. "What happened to the morning rush?"

"Seems they only liked you, it slowly dwindle away after you left. I don't know what charm you used to deal with them that early but I'm glad you're back to do it again," he easily replied.

He didn't know how the conversation with his boss was going to go but he had his doubts that he would be welcomed back so easily. "Thanks," Wade responded, totally relaxed.

"Just be here tomorrow for that morning shift and everything else will slowly get fixed, Wade."

He could only hope that Wally was right about that.

* * *

It had been a full month since he's been out and it felt like a lifetime since he had been behind bars, but he sat at a little table waiting for the guard to show up. Everything had slowly gone back to normal after he got over himself and went into to get his job back. It had amazed him how easily everything went back to normal after fixing that one last thing in his life. Everything was good and that's why he was back at the prison, because he didn't have much of a choice, but even if he did have a choice he'd still be there, he needed to be here.

"I can easily say that this the best surprise yet," Jesse chuckled, sitting opposite his younger brother. "I'm happy that you're here, but something I can do for you?"

"I didn't think that I needed a million and one reasons to come see you, Jesse," Wade mouthed back, his anger easily coming out.

"You don't and I'm sorry. How is my niece? Zoe?" Jesse asked, quickly changing the topic to a better one.

"Evie is growing, she looks so much like Zoe it isn't funny," Wade smiled. "Zoe's good, things are better than before, but they should be since I'm there all the time being the father and the boyfriend I hadn't been." Jesse cringed hearing the tone his brother's voice had taken.

"And I'm sorry and an ass making you pick like that, I was wrong in doing so and I'm going to work on fixing that, all of it," he promised his younger brother. Wade nodded his head, scratching the back of his neck. "What has you all nervous?" Jesse questioned with a laugh.

"I need a favor," he stated, looking down. Jesse found it amusing that Wade had been so defensive about not needing anything from him yet that was part of the reason he was there for. "Mom's ring. I know you have it, but do you think that I can get it from you?"

"And here I thought you didn't need a reason to come see me," Jesse smirked, leaning forward. "I took the ring for you, I was able to spend more time with her than you got and I have my own things to remember Mom by but you didn't get that luxury and it's with that box of things I left at your place, in the garage, it's in the little wooden box. Zoe's going to love it."

"Thanks," Wade smiled. "I want it just to be prepared. I want to marry her but not right now because we're not ready for that but we will be soon enough and I want it for when the time is right, ya know?" He questioned with a goofy grin on his face.

From there conversation moved along, Jesse filling Wade in on everything going on with his case, he was pleasantly shocked to learn the roll their father had played in things. By some miracle Jesse would be getting out between 6 months to a year, depending on how fast they could get his case in front of a judge. Some of that Wade knew because he would need to be present for the case, needing to be questioned on the stand, he could only hope that he didn't screw things up for Jesse by saying the wrong things while under oath.

From there things moved along nicely as they talked like Jesse wasn't in prison and for a few minutes it was easy to forget where they were at, until the guard came over to tell them that there time was up and it was time for Jesse to get back to his cell.

Wade had promised Jesse that he would be back the following week to see him. It was a promise he would keep because he did miss his big brother and they were on the track of being who they were before Jesse turned to a life of crime.

"Fancy seeing you on this side," Wade joked, seeing his old cellmate. "You didn't escape did you?" He asked lowly, his eyes darting around to see that they were the only two people in the parking lot.

"No," Joel chuckled, shaking his head, "it's nothing like that. I'm waiting for a ride actually," he vaguely explained. Wade raised an eyebrow needing to hear more. He had thought that Joel was going to be in prison for quite a few more years. "I wasn't in there for any reason other than I needed the experience to write my next novel, I wanted first hand experience so I could get things right. It was only for a few months."

"Dude that's insane and very dedicated to your work," Wade laughed. "I can give you a lift if you need one. You should come over for dinner and meet my family," he suggested.

"I don't want to impose on you like that," Joel told him waving it off. Wade shook his head telling him he was doing no such thing and that he was more than welcome to join them. With a smile Joel accepted sending a text to his ride letting them know he didn't need that ride after all. Joel filled Wade in on his research and that the only person that knew was Lavon. Wade shook his head and laughed at his friends antics just so he wouldn't get a single fact wrong for his book, Joel had balls and Wade admired that.

* * *

 **6 months later**

Wade was laughing as they sat around on their Sunday getting together. He looked around at his friends and family. George was in an easy conversation with Joel; after bringing him home like a stray puppy they had taken him in and he became apart of their daily lives, it did help that Evie adored the guy. Jesse who had just gotten out of prison a week ago was pushing Evie on the swings her laughter filling the air around them. Zoe, Lemon and Annabeth were huddled together laughing about something, he didn't even want to know what. Lavon was chasing his son around the playground, finally getting that replacement heart they had been waiting for.

"Thank you for giving me this chance," Earl said sitting next to him. Wade looked over at his father, taking a sip of his lemonade.

"There is no point in dwelling with the past, we can only move on. And it is nice to have you around," Wade told him. At times it was hard to watch him with Evie because for years that's how he wanted his father to be around him. He wasn't jealous that Evie got all the love that he should've gotten from his father, but it did sting.

Sundays were his favorite day of the week by far. He stood joking around with his brother and George, his fingers playing with the small box in his pocket. Today was the day, he thought moving away from his brother and friend to where Zoe stood. They were surrounded by family and friends, love all around them, there was no better time.

"Zoe," he started to say to gain her attention, taking her left hand in his, bending down on his knee, his eyes locked onto hers, shock and happiness radiating from her brown orbs. "You are everything to me. You and Evie, you two are all I need in life. I never thought I would get this, to have this kind of love and happiness, to have someone there waiting for me to help clean up my messes, but you're here and you've been here since that fateful day you came looking for your father and it took me long enough to realize just how much I love you and need you in my life; you are the breath I breathe in, you are the blood flowing through my veins, you are my heart, my soul. Will you become Mrs. Kinsella?" He had rambled more than he had thought was possible but it didn't matter not when he was sliding his mother's ring onto her all too important finger.

"Yes," she whispered, tears trickling down her cheeks, her lips lightly brushing against his.

* * *

Five and a half months later they stood in front of their family and friends, Jesse standing next to Wade and Lemon standing next to Zoe as they were pronounced husband and wife.

A year later Zoe couldn't wait to tell Wade her little secret about being pregnant. Silly arguments about it being a boy or girl would happen. Wade wanting another little girl and Zoe wanting a little boy to look just like his Daddy. But as the long their baby came out healthy they'd be happy whether it was a boy or a girl.

And a girl it was.

Amara Jaclyn Kinsella.


End file.
